New Delhi:
British Prime Minister Theresa May has written to the Common Speaker John Bercow demanding an investigation and the establishment of a new grievance procedure to deal with complaints of sexual harassment in Westminster.
May is trying to tackle a culture of sexual harassment in politics after a much controversial report has come to the notice on Friday. According to reports, Mark Garnier, a junior international trade minister, asked secretary Caroline Edmondson to buy two sex toys and also called her 'sugar tits'.
Talking about this latest controversial happening, Mark told the news paper 'Mail' that, the comment was part of an amusing conversation about a television show, and that asking her to buy the toys was 'good humoured high jinks'. However, Edmondson has disputed Garnier's all the comments to the daily.
Moreover, in response to Theresa May's written investigation order, Bercow said, any unwanted sexual behaviour was 'completely unacceptable' and any minister who acted inappropriately would face 'serious action'.
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"These stories, if they are true, are obviously totally unacceptable, the Cabinet Office will be conducting an investigation as to whether there has been a breach of the ministerial code in this particular case, but as you know the facts are disputed," Health Minister Jeremy Hunt was quoted while interacting with BBC television.
Hunt also discussed about those dozens of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and said, "The prime minister was very clear when we responded to the reports about Harvey Weinstein in the last few weeks that any unwanted sexual behaviour is completely unacceptable, and that is true in any walk of life including politics."
Amid this vexed situation in Westminster, Theresa May has also asked John Bercow for his advice about changing the culture and to stop this kind of inappropriate behaviour in British politics, and in other industries.
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