Jess Phillips Calls For Damian Green To Be Sacked
2 December 2017, 08:59
If the First Minister has been watching pornography at work he must be sacked, the Labour MP has said.
If Damian Green is proven to have watched pornography on a parliamentary computer he must be sacked, Labour's Jess Phillips has said.
The MP also said she was appalled at the lack of progress made in investigating allegations of sexual misconduct in Westminster.
Phillips argued that efforts by the Conservative party to make Green's case a civil liberties issue amounted to misdirection, considering he also faces other allegations of sexual harassment.
"It's not a funny situation," Phillips said. "But I have to say, I was laughing raucously at what Crispin [Blunt] said. As if there are employers in the country where part of their policies state it's perfectly fine to watch pornography at work. It's like members of parliament have never had a real job.
"The idea that watching pornography is the same as checking the cricket scores...
"The issue that worries me about Damian Green is the woman who came forward and accused him of sexual harassment, and this is an amazing 'Look! There's a squirrel,' and all the Tories wading in behind him on a civil liberties matter.
"I know there is an investigation going into Damian Green about sexual harassment, impropriety at work, using his position and we don't know the details. Nor should we know.
"This is massive whataboutery.
"We should follow due process and have respect for all the people involved, including Damian Green.
"But if he is found to have behaved poorly at work with sexual impropriety and have watched pornography at work he should face exactly the same sanctions that anyone else in the world would face if they watched pornography at work.
"I see absolutely no progress stopping the impunity of what goes on in Westminster. We have seen in Hollywood we have seen a clearing of the decks, people are facing consequences, in parliament absolutely nothing is changing."
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