BORIS Johnson has been rapped for making “inappropriate and frankly sexist” comments in the House of Commons.
Speaker John Bercow intervened after the Foreign Secretary referred to his Labour shadow Emily Thornberry as “Lady Baroness whatever” in an apparent reference to her husband, Sir Christopher Nugee.
Bercow said: “We do not address people by the titles of their spouses. The Shadow Foreign Secretary has a name and it’s not Lady Something. We know what her name is and it is inappropriate and frankly sexist to speak in those terms.
“That is the end of the matter. No matter how senior a member, that parlance is not legitimate, it will not be allowed and it will be called out.”
Johnson said he apologised unreservedly if he had offended Thornberry.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel