Andrea Leadsom: Ministers found guilty of sexual harassment will be sacked
2 min read
Ministers found guilty of sexual harassment will be sacked from their jobs, Andrea Leadsom has said.
The Commons leader also said backbenchers should lose their party whip, while members of staff should be sacked.
Her comments came as a Cabinet Office probe was launched into whether Mark Garnier broke the ministerial code by asking his former secretary to buy two sex toys for him.
Earlier, a spokesman for the Prime Minister had refused to say whether she maintained full confidence in the junior trade minister.
The Conservative MP for Wyre Valley is also accused of calling Ms Edmondson - who no longer works for him - "sugar t**s" in front of several witnesses.
Mr Garnier told the Mail on Sunday: "I’m not going to deny it, because I’m not going to be dishonest. I’m going to have to take it on the chin. I hung around outside and she went into this shop. That was it."
He said the "sugar t**s" comment was a humorous reference to popular BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey. He added: "It absolutely does not constitute harassment."
Asked what action could be taken against anyone found to have behaved inappropriately, Ms Leadsom said: "In terms of what happens to the perpetrators, that is of course a matter for the House to debate.
"But it will include, where they are staff, the normal contractual potential for losing your job. If you're an MP then the possible withdrawal of the whip, or sacking of ministers and so on.
"All of these well-known events that can happen from time to time must be in scope and will be in scope."
Ms Leadsom also confirmed that officials will probe the behaviour of MPs in notorious Westminster bar the Sports and Social as part of a wider investigation into sexual harassment in parliament.
"There should be no place on the estate where people can be abused or their allegations not taken seriously," she said.
Earlier, Commons Speaker John Bercow had said "there is a need for change" in the culture at Westminster.
He said: "Let me make it clear: there must be zero tolerance of sexual harassment or bullying here at Westminster or elsewhere: whether that involves members or their staff or parliamentary staff or those working on or visiting the estate."
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