>The chair of Westminster’s women and equalities committee has described the atmosphere in the House of Commons as being like “a boys’ prep school”.
>
>Caroline Nokes revealed that she has stopped attending early-morning meetings of Tory MPs because of inappropriate comments and no longer went to the party’s annual conference because of the “horrible” behaviour she experience.
>
>Speaking amid intense debate over misogyny in parliament sparked by the news that Tory Neil Parish watched porn in the Commons chamber, Ms Nokes revealed that she had personally been subjected to male MPs “touching, staring, bullying, trashing my reputation”.
>
>Speaking on the Chopper’s Politics podcast, Ms Nokes criticised a “locker room” culture in the Commons which made it feel like “a boy’s prep school [except] the inmates haven’t quite got to 13”.
>
>“The stark reality is that there is still a culture of banter which in any other workplace would have been stamped out long ago,” she said.
>
>([Article 🪞](https://archive.ph/UaIGu))
From earlier this morning:
>Senior Conservative MP Caroline Nokes has accused the party of “unnecessary dither and delay” in taking action against Neil Parish, in light of allegations that he watched pornography in the House of Commons.
>
>Nokes, who chairs the women and equalities committee, also said it would be “difficult” for Parish to spend the required time in parliament as a select committee chair while under investigation.
>
>Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme,she said: “I felt by leaving it until Friday before we knew that action had been taken by the whips that it felt like unnecessary dither and delay.”
>
>She continued that although she was not calling for Paris to stand down immediately from his role, it was “right those investigations are carried out before any further action is taken”.
>
>Whether Parish should continue as the chair of the environment select committee, Nokes added that was a “matter for Neil to discuss with the party whips and to take a position on, but I think whilst he’s under investigation it’s going to make it very difficult for him to be in the Commons as much as he needs to be”.
>
>Parish, the MP for Tiverton and Honiton in Devon, had the whip suspended after becoming the fourth MP from his party since the last election to face claims of impropriety.
>
>([*Guardian: Senior Tory accuses party of ‘dither and delay’ over MP porn allegations*](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/30/caroline-nokes-senior-tory-accuses-party-of-dither-and-delay-over-neil-parish-mp-porn-allegations))
And:
>Labour has accused Conservative party whips of delaying action over the MP accused of watching pornography in parliament, saying it was “shameful” that it was three days before Neil Parish was suspended from the party and referred himself for investigation.
>
>The 65-year-old MP for Tiverton and Honiton is understood to have been identified to chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris by two female MPs on Tuesday, but his name was not revealed until Friday, when he submitted himself for an inquiry by Commons standards commissioner Kathryn Stone.
>
>([*Independent: ‘Shameful’ delay by Tories in acting over MP watching porn in Commons, say Labour*](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/neil-parish-pornography-commons-conservatives-b2068926.html)) – ([Article 🪞](https://archive.ph/WveP2))
You can tell Commons is treated like the spiffing japes had at Eton by what we consider appropriate for how to hold debate on camera. We need to drag MPs and Parliament into the modern times. Reform, rebuild reputation.
The whole atmosphere and set up should be all like the committee hearings they have instead of the performances they put on in the house of commons
I don’t think you can be a Tory and then talk bout equality…
I remember the first time I watched a Commons debate – I was absolutely shocked at how infantile it all was; a real eye opener. My lasting thought was ‘Are these meant to be the people *in charge*?’
5 comments
>The chair of Westminster’s women and equalities committee has described the atmosphere in the House of Commons as being like “a boys’ prep school”.
>
>Caroline Nokes revealed that she has stopped attending early-morning meetings of Tory MPs because of inappropriate comments and no longer went to the party’s annual conference because of the “horrible” behaviour she experience.
>
>Speaking amid intense debate over misogyny in parliament sparked by the news that Tory Neil Parish watched porn in the Commons chamber, Ms Nokes revealed that she had personally been subjected to male MPs “touching, staring, bullying, trashing my reputation”.
>
>Speaking on the Chopper’s Politics podcast, Ms Nokes criticised a “locker room” culture in the Commons which made it feel like “a boy’s prep school [except] the inmates haven’t quite got to 13”.
>
>“The stark reality is that there is still a culture of banter which in any other workplace would have been stamped out long ago,” she said.
>
>([Article 🪞](https://archive.ph/UaIGu))
From earlier this morning:
>Senior Conservative MP Caroline Nokes has accused the party of “unnecessary dither and delay” in taking action against Neil Parish, in light of allegations that he watched pornography in the House of Commons.
>
>Nokes, who chairs the women and equalities committee, also said it would be “difficult” for Parish to spend the required time in parliament as a select committee chair while under investigation.
>
>Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme,she said: “I felt by leaving it until Friday before we knew that action had been taken by the whips that it felt like unnecessary dither and delay.”
>
>She continued that although she was not calling for Paris to stand down immediately from his role, it was “right those investigations are carried out before any further action is taken”.
>
>Whether Parish should continue as the chair of the environment select committee, Nokes added that was a “matter for Neil to discuss with the party whips and to take a position on, but I think whilst he’s under investigation it’s going to make it very difficult for him to be in the Commons as much as he needs to be”.
>
>Parish, the MP for Tiverton and Honiton in Devon, had the whip suspended after becoming the fourth MP from his party since the last election to face claims of impropriety.
>
>([*Guardian: Senior Tory accuses party of ‘dither and delay’ over MP porn allegations*](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/30/caroline-nokes-senior-tory-accuses-party-of-dither-and-delay-over-neil-parish-mp-porn-allegations))
And:
>Labour has accused Conservative party whips of delaying action over the MP accused of watching pornography in parliament, saying it was “shameful” that it was three days before Neil Parish was suspended from the party and referred himself for investigation.
>
>The 65-year-old MP for Tiverton and Honiton is understood to have been identified to chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris by two female MPs on Tuesday, but his name was not revealed until Friday, when he submitted himself for an inquiry by Commons standards commissioner Kathryn Stone.
>
>([*Independent: ‘Shameful’ delay by Tories in acting over MP watching porn in Commons, say Labour*](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/neil-parish-pornography-commons-conservatives-b2068926.html)) – ([Article 🪞](https://archive.ph/WveP2))
You can tell Commons is treated like the spiffing japes had at Eton by what we consider appropriate for how to hold debate on camera. We need to drag MPs and Parliament into the modern times. Reform, rebuild reputation.
The whole atmosphere and set up should be all like the committee hearings they have instead of the performances they put on in the house of commons
I don’t think you can be a Tory and then talk bout equality…
I remember the first time I watched a Commons debate – I was absolutely shocked at how infantile it all was; a real eye opener. My lasting thought was ‘Are these meant to be the people *in charge*?’