Sleaze House of Commons? Porn, misogyny, sexism in UK parliament

Women from across British politics called for action to tackle misogyny after a newspaper ran a story accusing the deputy opposition leader of trying to “distract” the prime minister during debates by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

The Mail on Sunday quoted an anonymous Conservative lawmaker as saying Labour Party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner tried to throw Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson “off his stride” as she sat across from him in the House of Commons.

The article called it “a fully-clothed Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stone’s infamous scene in the 1992 film ‘Basic Instinct,’” in which Stone distracts police interrogators while wearing a short skirt.

Rayner accused “Boris Johnson’s cheerleaders” of using “desperate, perverted smears.”

In response, Johnson said "As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today."

Health Secretary Sajid Javid also weighed in, saying: “If an MP or MPs really said this then it’s utterly shameful. No woman in politics should have to put up with this.”

The Sunday Times reported that 56 British parliamentarians have been reported to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) for making sexually suggestive comments about female lawmakers.

"Parliamentary authorities need to address the fundamental causes of bullying and harassment, rather than simply rely on an enforcement mechanism that only protects those who feel able to raise complaints," said FDA's General secretary Dave Penman.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has claimed that all the women in the British parliament have been a victim of the "wandering hands" of male lawmakers.

Not just this, the minister has also told the male MPs "to keep your hands in your pockets."

Some men at Westminster think by getting elected they have become "God's gift to women" and that they can "please themselves", International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan told Sky News.  

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party has suspended a lawmaker as it looks into reports that a member of the party watched pornography on his phone in the House of Commons debating chamber.

Neil Parish, a Conservative member of parliament since 2010, was suspended from the parliamentary party after reporting himself to a standards commissioner in parliament, said a spokesperson for the party's chief whip, who oversees discipline.

"Having spoken to the chief whip this afternoon, Neil Parish MP is reporting himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards," the spokesperson said.

"Mr Parish has been suspended from the Conservative Whip pending the outcome of that investigation."

Watching pornography would be unacceptable in any workplace, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said when asked about an investigation into allegations a lawmaker was seen watching explicit videos on his phone in the House of Commons.

"It's obviously unacceptable for anybody to be doing that kind of thing in the workplace. It'd be the same for any kind of job up and down the country," Johnson told reporters when asked about the allegations during an election campaign visit.

He said the specific case reported on Wednesday, involving an unnamed member of Johnson's Conservative Party, would need to go through the appropriate complaints procedure.

The outcry comes at a time when Johnson and his party are under pressure over parties held at his Downing Street office and residence when the country was under strict lockdown rules.

Johnson is facing an investigation over whether he lied to parliament about those parties.

The issue of sexism in parliament also came to the fore recently after a newspaper published an article in which an anonymous Conservative lawmaker claimed the deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, Angela Rayner, sought to distract Johnson in parliament by crossing and uncrossing her legs.