Sniggering male MPs are making life tough for newly-elected Labour women deputies, Labour officials said yesterday. They accused opposition Conservatives MPs of repeatedly taunting women colleagues with sexist jibes about their dress, appearance and fitness for the job.
A record 119 women were elected to parliament in May - 101 of them representing the victorious Labour Party. This influx has transformed the face of what was known as the best gentleman's club in London.
"Some of the worst examples are crude sexual innuendo and abuse . . . But the softer examples include telling women to get back to the kitchen or `go home and cook your husband's dinner'," said Labour MP Ms Bridget Prentice.
Other Labour women said they had been taunted with offers to "come outside and we'll show you a good time."
The women said they planned to shame the men into silence by scanning videotapes of proceedings in the House of Commons and reporting the worst offenders to the Speaker, Ms Betty Boothroyd, for possible disciplinary action.
"It is about time they realised the world has changed and leave their (private) school sniggering behind them," another Labour MP, Ms Margaret Hodge, told BBC radio.
Conservative MPs disagreed over the level of sexism. A veteran, Mr Teddy Taylor, accepted that some of his colleagues could be labelled chauvinists.
But another Conservative, Mr Michael Fabricant, said teasing was part of the rough and tumble of political life. "These new MPs will have to get used to a fair amount of abusive comment. If they can't take the heat they shouldn't go in the kitchen," he said.