The United Kingdom’s Minister for International Trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, called on her male colleagues to “keep their hands in their pockets”, as she said all women in parliament had been subjected to “wandering hands”.
Speaking to Sky News on Friday, Trevelyan, a Berwick-upon-Tweed MP, said allegations that a Conservative MP had watched pornography in the House of Commons were “completely unacceptable”, but declined to say whether they should be fired.
She said some men in Westminster felt their election made them “God’s gift to women”, even though the vast majority were “delightful, committed parliamentarians”.
The Tories’ main whip issued a statement Wednesday suggesting that the Conservative MP’s view of pornography in parliament should be linked to the Independent Complaints and Complaints Scheme (ICGS), which deals with sexual harassment and other disciplinary measures. questions.
Senior Tories wondered why he had not taken direct action against the lawmaker, whose alleged behavior had been witnessed by two colleagues in recent months.
Asked about the wider culture in Westminster, Trevelyan said: “All of us as women in Parliament have been subjected to inappropriate language, wandering hands, as my grandmother called it, this does not change. Most of the men I work with are admirable. They are dedicated parliamentarians, they are passionate about the causes they are fighting for.
“But there are a few for whom drinking too much, or really some opinion, that somehow choosing them makes them a gift from God to women, that they can suddenly please themselves, that’s never right.”
She said there are a number of ways to help women report on their experiences as a result of the MeToo movement. “Basically, if you’re a boy, keep your hands in your pockets and behave the way you would if you had a daughter in the room,” she said.
Travellian said she was comfortable calling out “anyone who thinks their wandering hands are okay” and that she had done so several times. She asked why the Tory MP, accused of watching porn in the municipalities, had time to do so, and why he thought it was acceptable.
“I have not had the opportunity to speak with the main whip and I know that the ladies in question, who have obviously seen this completely, completely inappropriate activity, were encouraged to use the official system in the House of Commons to report on it. and I very much hope that they will do it or really have it, I don’t know, and that the system will show, if that was the case, what exactly the punishment for this kind of inappropriate behavior should be, “she said.
Asked about the culture of drinking in the House of Commons, Trevelian said: “Responsible drinking must be the way forward.
The MP’s identity is known on party whips, of course.
Misogyny and sexism in parliament have come under scrutiny in recent days after a widely criticized story in the Mail on Sunday claimed Tory lawmakers believed Labor deputy leader Angela Raynor had crossed her legs to distract Boris. Johnson on the Prime Minister’s questions.
Add Comment