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Tory MP Roger Gale warns of sexual harassment 'witch hunt' Tory MP Roger Gale warns of sexual harassment 'witch hunt'
(about 1 hour later)
A veteran Conservative MP has warned of a witch hunt at Westminster and said those accused of sexual harassment were being treated as “guilty before proven innocent”. British MPs accused of sexual harassment are being treated as “guilty before proven innocent” as part of a witch hunt at Westminster, a veteran Conservative MP has said.
Sir Roger Gale, 74, also said that the way allegations are being reported was despicable.Sir Roger Gale, 74, also said that the way allegations are being reported was despicable.
“We are not treating them as allegations. We are treating them as fact,” the MP for North Thanet MP said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We are not treating them as allegations. We are treating them as fact,” the MP for North Thanet said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“There are literally hundreds of decent, hardworking, honest men and women on both sides of the House of Commons who, this morning, will be going out to their constituency advice surgeries, to try to help people.“There are literally hundreds of decent, hardworking, honest men and women on both sides of the House of Commons who, this morning, will be going out to their constituency advice surgeries, to try to help people.
“In order to do that, they need to have the trust of the people they are trying to help and to sell tomorrow’s chip wrappings on the back of allegations that are unfounded and undermine that trust in that way I think is despicable. “In order to do that, they need to have the trust of the people they are trying to help, and to sell tomorrow’s chip wrappings on the back of allegations that are unfounded and undermine that trust in that way I think is despicable.
“In the context, there is no proof that I can see yet of any wrongdoing. There may be things that have been done, a hand on a knee. Fine, you know, 15 years ago that may have been acceptable where it’s not today.”“In the context, there is no proof that I can see yet of any wrongdoing. There may be things that have been done, a hand on a knee. Fine, you know, 15 years ago that may have been acceptable where it’s not today.”
His comments come as a number of MPs denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour, and the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Lord Bew, said outside bodies needed to be involved in investigations to avoid claims of a cover-up. A number of MPs have denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour, and the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Lord Bew, said independent bodies needed to be involved in investigations to avoid claims of a cover-up.
Earlier this week, the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, resigned from the cabinet as the Westminster scandal deepened. Allegations have been made against a number of MPs and an uncorroborated spreadsheet detailing claims against 40 Tory MPs, almost all of which are unverified, is circulating on social media. Earlier this week, the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, resigned from the cabinet and an uncorroborated spreadsheet detailing claims against 40 Tory MPs, almost all of which are unverified, was circulated on social media.
Giving a hypothetical example of a woman claiming a man kissed her in a lift five years ago, Gale said on Today: “How does a member of parliament, male or female, or male and male, or female and female, because everything is in this mix, how does a member of parliament refute that? It’s a witch hunt.”Giving a hypothetical example of a woman claiming a man kissed her in a lift five years ago, Gale said on Today: “How does a member of parliament, male or female, or male and male, or female and female, because everything is in this mix, how does a member of parliament refute that? It’s a witch hunt.”
He said that “before we rush to judgment and say that everyone is guilty before they are proven innocent, we should look at the facts and decide and allow responsible people with access to look at the evidence to decide whether there actually is an accusation to be answered”.He said that “before we rush to judgment and say that everyone is guilty before they are proven innocent, we should look at the facts and decide and allow responsible people with access to look at the evidence to decide whether there actually is an accusation to be answered”.
Bew told Today that harassment investigations could not be “in-house”. Bew told Today that harassment investigations could not be carried out by political parties.
He said: “The parties need to get a grip of this issue of accountability. It’s vital that these things are not seen to be done in-house. “The parties need to get a grip of this issue of accountability. It’s vital that these things are not seen to be done in-house.
“It is vital that there are people outside parliament in cases of harassment, and so on, who are there, who can give some reassurance to the public that this is not just another cover up.” “It is vital that there are people outside parliament in cases of harassment, and so on, who are there, who can give some reassurance to the public that this is not just another cover-up.”
He said people expected MPs to behave better than others.He said people expected MPs to behave better than others.
“The public does expect, it’s perfectly clear from our polling, somewhat higher standards from MPs than from other public servants … MPs just have to accept that there are things that university teachers, etc, local government officers, possibly, get away with which the public will not accept from MPs,” he said.“The public does expect, it’s perfectly clear from our polling, somewhat higher standards from MPs than from other public servants … MPs just have to accept that there are things that university teachers, etc, local government officers, possibly, get away with which the public will not accept from MPs,” he said.
As new allegations continue to surface at Westminster, three MPs denied wrongdoing.As new allegations continue to surface at Westminster, three MPs denied wrongdoing.
Labour’s Clive Lewis, the MP for Norwich South, denied a claim that he had groped a woman at the conference in September after it emerged the party was investigating a formal complaint against him. Clive Lewis, the MP for Norwich South, denied a claim that he had groped a woman at the Labour conference in September after it emerged the party was investigating a formal complaint against him.
He told the BBC: “I don’t as a rule at packed Labour party conferences grope people’s bottoms when I greet them. It’s just not how I roll, it’s not what I do.” He told the BBC: “I don’t, as a rule, at packed Labour party conferences grope people’s bottoms when I greet them. It’s just not how I roll, it’s not what I do.”
The comments came as the former Labour Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis denied he had made non-consensual sexual advances toward women. Labour’s former Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis denied he had made non-consensual sexual advances toward women. The Bury South MP made the remarks after BuzzFeed News reported that a woman had alleged he touched her leg and invited her to his house during a Labour party event in 2010 when she was 19.
The Bury South MP made the remarks after BuzzFeed News reported that a woman had alleged he touched her leg and invited her to his house when she was 19 and at a Labour party event in 2010.
Lewis said he had “never made non-consensual sexual comments or sexual advances to women”.Lewis said he had “never made non-consensual sexual comments or sexual advances to women”.
The suspended Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins said he categorically denied allegations of inappropriate conduct made by the activist Ava Etemadzadeh which the party is investigating.The suspended Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins said he categorically denied allegations of inappropriate conduct made by the activist Ava Etemadzadeh which the party is investigating.