Journalist lifts lid on shocking culture of sexual harassment in Westminster
5 July 2022, 14:23
Journalist lifts lid on rife culture of sexual harassment in Westminster
Shelagh Fogarty couldn't believe her ears when this journalist shared his personal experience of sexual harassment at the hands of politicians and journalists in the heart of British government.
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Westminster has been plunged into yet another scandal after the former government deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher resigned following accusations of groping made against him.
Speaking out about his own experience, Alexander Brown unveiled some of the horrific harassment he has been victim of in his role as Westminster correspondent for the Scotsman.
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He told Shelagh Fogarty he has previously "tried to laugh off" the harassment he experienced and even saw it "almost as the price of access."
Mr Brown told LBC listeners that a "fairly senior" journalist had grabbed him by the throat on one occasion and said "he'd be going home and thinking of me, perhaps in not as so many words."
He went on to speak about "a repeat offender", an MP, who told him he was going to "laminate" social media posts of Mr Brown on holiday, causing him discomfort and distress.
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"I've walked past them and they'd stop meetings to go 'oh, by the way. This is Alex. He's not worth knowing as a journalist, but he's worth knowing because he's so sexy'", the journalist added.
Shelagh was shocked, sharing her dismay at how Mr Brown had been "professionally minimised" along with being harassed, even after he stated he didn't feel physically threatened.
Mr Brown went on to note that his experience was far from an anomaly: "When I wrote about this...I was inundated with messages from people who've had experiences far worse than mine."
"That's basically what working in Westminster is. It's knowing certain people to avoid, and not having any trust in the system."
