Penny Mordaunt: Parliament still a hostile place for some women

Britain's International Development Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt
AFP/Getty Images
Kate Proctor8 November 2018
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Parliament is still a “hostile environment” for some women who work there, a Cabinet minister warned today.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt spoke about the sexual harassment scandal that has engulfed Westminster as she addressed 120 female politicians from 86 countries, who had gathered in the Commons for a conference to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage in the UK.

She urged them to stand firm in championing women’s rights, saying: “Let us send a clear message to all those who would slow progress … we will not stand for their nonsense.

I am so conscious as I speak to you that this very institution, the mother of all parliaments, is still a hostile environment for some women who work within its walls.”

Westminster has been under the spotlight since it emerged in October last year that staff had kept a list of MPs reportedly acting inappropriately with employees, including alleged sexual harassment.

A report by Dame Laura Cox last month found there had been institutional failings in dealing with entrenched bullying and harassment.

Ms Mordaunt has taken a hard line against sexual exploitation in the aid sector, threatening to pull funding unless organisations show “moral leadership”.

Labour’s Harriet Harman and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom also led the event. Theresa May, who met the women at a Downing Street reception, said “half the talent” is excluded if women are “systematically” shut out. She added: “A parliament where women are a rare sight is a parliament working with one hand tied behind its back.”

The conference aims to enable delegates to share experiences of how to get more women into parliaments, and address other issues such as abuse.

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