While responding to a question about allegations against Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher, Diane Abbott made the unfounded claim that Boris Johnson is “rumoured to like assaulting women” and accused him of hypocrisy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Labour MP made the statement about the Prime Minister while discussing reports that Mr Pincher groped two men in a London club on BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When questioned if a man sexually assaulting a woman would have received different treatment than Mr Pincher allegedly groping two men, the former shadow home secretary said, ‘It might have been treated differently.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She continued, however, and made an unsubstantiated accusation against the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘But that’s because Boris Johnson is rumoured to like assaulting women,’ said the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP. ‘So it’s sheer hypocrisy from him.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘That’s not been printed this morning, it’s not being said by the BBC,’ said host Paddy O’Connell, rebuking the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Diane, you’ve got to answer my questions rather than raising new claims.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To edit out the segment, the BBC temporarily removed the show from its catch-up service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson said: ‘For editorial reasons, we are editing today’s episode of Broadcasting House,’ a spokesman said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘We are working to make it available to listeners as soon as possible.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The majority of the interview, including Abbott’s quip “Pincher by name, pincher by nature,” is still available to listen to in the available version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked if the allegations against Mr Pincher have always been a problem in Parliament, she replied, ‘I think we probably know more about it now than we knew 30 years ago.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘When I first became an MP there was very much the sense that Westminster was a club and what happened in Westminster stayed in Westminster, but with online, twitter it’s very hard to keep things a secret.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms Abbott also praised the increased “transparency” in reporting sexual harassment allegations and supported the idea of a separate HR system for Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She suggested that the fact that complaints had been made to parliamentary authorities represented a step forward from a few decades ago when male staffers were far less likely to contact the Whips’ Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the said issue. <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While responding to a question about allegations against Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher, Diane Abbott made the unfounded claim that Boris Johnson is “rumoured to like assaulting women” and accused … <\/p>\n