Westminster’s culture of misogyny is an embarrassment to the nation

I wonder if the advice of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to MPs to stay away from the Commons bars would help address the sleaze crisis at Westminster.

The various watering holes around the Palace of Westminster have been the scene of infamous fracases over the years (two SNP members coming to blows over a party aide, a Labour MP headbutting a Tory MP in Strangers’ Bar), salacious exploits too many to mention, and career-ending indiscretions.

“We’ve seen fights, we’ve seen sexist comments, we’ve seen propositions,” said Wallace. Quizzed on the radio on Thursday over claims by two female Tory MPs that they had seen a male colleague watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons, he said there was a “problem with the overall culture” in parliament.

Rumours about the identity of this MP have been swarming in Westminster since the story emerged earlier this week. Yesterday, it was reported that Neil Parish, the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, had reported himself to the parliamentary authorities.

Hard to disagree with Wallace’s take that there is a problem with the “overall culture” in light of the past week’s revelations alone. On top of the porn incident, we have seen Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Raynor, inadvertently dominate the headlines because she crosses and uncrosses her legs.

Whether you believe the word of the Tory MP who said she joked (while drinking on the Commons terrace) that she used the tactic to distract Boris Johnson or accept her denial that the conversation ever took place, the whole undermining episode is another setback for the sisterhood.

There are no circumstances whereby a male MP would be accused of using his charms rather than his debating skills to unnerve a female PM at the dispatch box. 

We have had two female prime ministers, and 35 per cent of the Commons is now made up of women MPs, but inequality endures at Westminster, often in shocking ways. 

According to a recent newspaper report, 56 MPs are currently facing sexual misconduct complaints, including three Cabinet ministers and two members of the shadow Cabinet.

Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said it is the duty of parliamentarians, as public servants, “to set an example of character and integrity”. Instead, our tribunes seem to be role models for every type of misogynist miscreant: ageing groper, tick; long-married roué, tick; serial cheater, tick; porn addict, tick.

The poisonous mix of alcohol and after-work socialising can be blamed for some of the bad behaviour in the Commons. But closing all hospitality on the premises would not be enough to rid it of men who think watching porn on their mobile phones at work, in full view of colleagues, is acceptable.

In fact, such brazenness suggests a lack of shame and/or desire to be discovered that could be interpreted as addiction, especially as the same MP was caught on another occasion, during a committee meeting.

He needs help, no doubt, but first, he must be punished in the same way as a flasher would be, for his actions were akin to sexual harassment, causing distress to women in the vicinity.

Astonishingly, though, the Tory chief whip has chosen not to identify the man or to immediately discipline him. The complaints — which emerged during a meeting among Tory MPs to discuss sexual misconduct — have been referred to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, which may take years to process.

There have been calls from the Opposition for the Speaker to deal with the MP but so far, nothing on that front. Lindsay Hoyle was so appalled by the allegations against Angela Rayner that he tried, unsuccessfully, to haul in the editor responsible for running the story. 

Does he feel powerless to intervene now when standards of decency are so flagrantly abused inside the chamber?

At the very least, the public would expect their representatives to be focused on representing them when on the green benches, and not looking at their phones at all, never mind viewing sexually explicit content in front of their fellow MPs.

The fact that men are watching pornography in most public places, including on the train, bus, in libraries and even in churches, is evidence of how normalised it has become, though not for the women who witness such behaviour.

Lord Bethell spoke on the Today programme yesterday of a man looking at, “abusive disgusting material” on his phone on the Circle Line in the morning rush hour, amid not only female passengers but schoolchildren. The former minister said he admonished the culprit but few people, particularly women, would be so emboldened.

The proposed Online Safety Bill aims to prevent underage access to pornography websites that are conditioning generations of youngsters to porn from an early age. But this will not stop men habituated to their fix because it is not a criminal offence to watch porn in public.

When it happens in the workplace, it is up to bosses to take the lead and confront the perpetrators; Westminster would be a good place to start. 

The fact that an MP has been found indulging his porn habit in the country’s most high-profile arena may be disturbing, but it certainly brings visibility to a scourge that is often swept under the carpet.

By naming and shaming the individual, ministers can demonstrate that they are at last attempting to tackle the “bad smell” that pervades the Westminster corridors of power.