London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Angela Rayner row: Does Parliament have a problem with misogyny?

Angela Rayner row: Does Parliament have a problem with misogyny?

A story in the Mail on Sunday reporting claims from Conservative MPs about Angela Rayner has been widely criticised as misogynistic.

It claimed Labour's deputy leader tries to distract Boris Johnson in Parliament by crossing and uncrossing her legs as she sits on the frontbench, facing the assembled Tory MPs.

But is misogyny the exception rather than the rule when it comes to the culture in Parliament?

It would be hard to argue that in the past Westminster was an easy place to be a woman.

A report in 2004 - entitled Whose secretary are you? - heard from female MPs, including Labour's Barbara Follett who recalled Conservatives pretending to juggle imaginary breasts when a woman spoke in the House of Commons.

Ex-education secretary Gillian Shephard said one of her colleagues called all women Betty because "you're all the same".

And Harriet Harman - who went to become Labour's deputy leader - said that, following a promotion, she was asked: "Who have you been sleeping with?"

That report was written nearly two decades ago - do MPs think much has changed since then?

Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves says the problem is "still massive" adding that: "There is not a single female MP or staff member in the Commons who doesn't have their own stories about sexism and misogyny."

Telling the BBC about her own experience, she said that in 2015, when she was pregnant with her second child, someone suggested she wouldn't be able to be in government because "I wouldn't be able to concentrate on having a baby and having a big job".

"No one says that about male MPs - that they can't be senior politicians and have children."

Caroline Nokes - the Conservative chair of the Women and Equalities Committee - told BBC 5 Live that she didn't experience open sexism, adding: "It would take a very brave man."

However, she added she had heard of comments made "behind my back".

"I can think of a minister in the current government who openly discusses my sex life as if it is something to be ashamed of when his own is far more colourful and varied.

"He calls me appalling names in the tea room... Westminster is a very gossipy place, it gets back to me."

She said she couldn't use the term on radio but said it is "unpleasant, demeaning, offensive".

'Appearances not policies'


Ms Nokes also argued female MPs are treated "unfairly" not just by their colleagues, but also in the media.

"They focus on their appearances, what they're wearing, their hair, as opposed to the content of what they say - you seldom see any sort of coverage about male MPs' appearance."

Her comments were echoed by her Tory colleague Alicia Kearns - MP for Rutland and Melton - who said "some journalists are incapable of writing about female MPs without denigrating their appearances rather than their policies".

But journalist Isabel Oakeshott said Westminster was not full of "marauding sexists" and that things had "got an awful lot better".

She suggested the problem was "as much with newspapers as the culture of Westminster" adding that papers may be lagging behind on the issue.

"This is the way papers work," she told the BBC's World at One programme. "They will look for a story which has a central female character who is, what papers will privately call, a 'presentable woman'.

"I don't think we should automatically assume that, because of the prominence the [Angela Rayner] story was given in the Mail on Sunday, that there is a huge problem at Westminster.

"That is not to say there isn't some problem at Westminster, there is in almost every workplace."

An uncomfortable workplace

With depressing regularity we're reminded that Westminster can be a very uncomfortable workplace for women.

In this case an offensive comment about how a senior female politician dresses rather than what she says, with a dose of snobbery thrown in.

But maybe we should take heart from the reaction to this unpleasant story. MPs from all parties, the prime minister and the Commons Speaker all publicly condemning the misogyny.

The increase in female MPs and political journalists has dramatically changed and improved the atmosphere in the Commons over the past 30 years, but there's still much room for improvement.

Regulating what male MPs say in private to journalists or to each other won't be easy. But a loud chorus of disapproval when these comments come to light should help ram home the message that times have changed.

Those looking for signs of progress could point to recent changes in the way complaints of harassment are handled.

The #MeToo campaign, in which women shared their own stories of sexual harassment, prompted questions about the culture in Westminster - particularly the way young members of staff were treated by MPs.

Former staff members not only complained about MPs' behaviour, but also how their grievances were dealt with.

A report by a high court judge found that aggressive, lewd and intimidation behaviour by MPs had been "tolerated and concealed" for years.

A new independent complaints procedure was set up which removed MPs from the process of judging whether one of their colleagues had breached conduct rules.

'Shut up and stay home'


Conservative Andrea Leadsom, who helped set up the new system, has acknowledged it needs improving - telling the BBC last year that investigations into complaints were taking too long.

"And that's not anyone's malicious intent, but justice delayed is justice denied. If it's going to take a year plus to resolve, that's going to undermine the credibility of the scheme," she said.

Ms Harman - the longest serving female MP in the House of Commons - says she hopes the new procedures will stop what has been "rife".

However, asked if things had got better since she started out in the 1980s, she said no.

"The things that I was subjected to when I was a young woman MP... it's exactly the same happening to Angela Rayner.

"Sexist briefing is an age-old way to shut people up... it's rooted in the idea that women should just shut up and stay home and don't have a right to be in Parliament.

"Well it won't work. Because women will not be shut up."


Watch: Rachel Reeves says she was told a new baby and being in cabinet don't mix


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×