Sexual harassment: A minority of British politicians ‘act like animals’

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Suila Braverman

She said Britain’s attorney general Suella Braverman says a minority of men in politics are “acting like animals”, at a time when female MPs share experiences of sexism and harassment.

Speaking to the BBC, Braverman said the problem started with the wider community and there was a need to discuss “ethical standards”.

Braverman’s comments come as an unnamed minister accused her fellow MP from the ruling Conservative Party of watching pornographic films in the House of Commons.

Braverman said she was “ashamed” that the MP “wore the Tory flower (the party’s emblem).”

Former Minister Baroness Nicky Morgan called the claim “shocking”. “If this happens in any other workplace, the person (perpetrator) will be fired for serious misconduct,” she said.

However, she said, the situation for MPs is different as “there are no contracts for them, and no one will ever remove them from their job – this gives MPs a feeling of invincibility.”

It was alleged during a meeting on Tuesday night that a Conservative MP had seen pornography in the House of Commons.

Chris Heaton Harris, the ruling party’s Parliamentary Disciplinary Officer, has looked into the matter, but has now referred it to Parliament’s Independent Complaints Commission.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said viewing of pornography in the workplace was “totally unacceptable” and that “appropriate measures” should be taken.

Opposition Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said there was “no harm” in referring the matter to Parliament’s Complaints Committee, but added: “I think the Conservatives, knowing who it is, should take action now.”

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davy urged conservatives to “join forces” and “get rid” of the MP in question.

“pornography”

Asked regarding the broader problem, Braverman said she did not “feel uncomfortable” during her time in Parliament, but that there were some “corrupt people”.

She said: ‘My personal experience, I’ve been a Member of Parliament for seven years, been a Conservative and in politics for 20 years – on no occasion have I felt uncomfortable, and all the men I’ve worked with have been respectable.

“However, there is a very small minority of men who are deficient – and there are some who are corrupt out of order, behaving like animals and discrediting Parliament,” she added.

She said the incident was a “disturbing symptom” of a broader problem in society, adding that viewing pornography in public had become “normal”.

“We have to look deeply at the shift towards rudeness in our culture, and some of the mixed messages we send to our children,” she said.

“On the one hand, we have women saying, ‘It’s my right to post pictures of myself in lingerie, it gives me the power to be naked online, don’t be strict, don’t restrict my freedom’ – and on the other hand we deplore the porn that enables it.”

And Braverman called for the need to “take advantage of this moment to reflect on what we are doing and lead to a decline in standards of behavior.”

Speaking to the BBC, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said workplace pornography was “unacceptable” and he hoped action would be taken if the allegation was substantiated.

Asked regarding the working environment in Parliament, he said: “The problem in the House of Commons is ultimately the general culture of long working hours, pubs and people sometimes under pressure, and following all that, this can create a toxic mixture that leads to all sorts of things.”

Labour’s Jess Phillips tweeted: “Culture in Westminster is an excuse often used by offenders to get rid of bad behaviour.”

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Angela Rayner says ‘sexual insults’ were ‘extremely shameful and painful’

The comments come amid renewed concern regarding misogyny in parliament, as well as accusations of sexual harassment.

A lawmaker, who asked not to be identified, told the BBC that a member of the opposition Labor shadow government called it the “secret weapon” of her party, adding in bare language that women wanted to be her friends and men wanted to sleep with her.

A Labor spokesman said: “Labour takes all complaints very seriously. They are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate action is taken.”

Two SNP MPs – Patrick Grady and Patricia Gibson – are facing allegations of sexual harassment. The party said it was the people’s right to have complaints regarding them treated confidentially, and it would not be appropriate to provide further comments.

Earlier this week, politicians from all parties condemned a newspaper suggestion that Labor MP Angela Rayner was trying to distract Boris Johnson in the House of Commons by putting a leg on one or both of them sitting down.

On Wednesday, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas cited a report in the Sunday Times that said a total of 56 MPs, including three ministers, were facing allegations of sexual misconduct following reporting to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievances Committee, and asked the prime minister if such behavior warranted dismissal. Under the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

Johnson responded that sexual harassment was “of course… justification for dismissal”.

What are the specific rules that prevent MPs from viewing pornography in the House of Commons?

• Under the Code of Conduct approved by the House of Commons, members of Parliament are required to act at all times in their public life with “honour and integrity”.

• Members are expected to observe the principles of “respect, professionalism, understanding others’ perspectives, courtesy and accepting responsibility”.

• The Code states that they should not do anything that would “significantly damage the reputation and integrity” of the House of Representatives or the House of Representatives in general.

• Allegations of sexual misconduct can be referred to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievances Committee.

The current Complaints Committee was set up in 2018, following complaints regarding the way allegations of sexual harassment were handled by MPs.

The new measures exclude lawmakers from the process of judging whether one of their colleagues has violated the rules for bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct.

Under this process, an independent commission can recommend sanctions if a member of Parliament is found guilty. If it recommends the suspension of a Member of Parliament from membership in one of the Houses of Parliament, it must be approved by the Representatives.

If a member of Parliament is suspended for at least 10 days, its voters can demand a by-election through a motion of no-confidence.