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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Gregor Farquharson

Lanarkshire MP was warned who to avoid in Parliament when first elected

A Lanarkshire MP has said she was warned which men to avoid in Westminster when first elected last year.

Anum Qaisar, MP for Airdrie and Shotts, explained how she was told by opposition members which “predatory” men to avoid in Parliament.

This comes after Conservative MP Neil Parish resigned after he admitted he had watched pornographic videos while in the House Of Commons.

The MP told Sky News that a now-former conservative minister approached her at an event after they noticed she was uncomfortable.

She said: "“Despite the fact we have this horrific, toxic culture in Westminster, it’s women looking after women.

“Since I joined Parliament, I’ve been taken aside by female MPs to warn me about some male MPs who say ‘Actually, Anum, you’re probably better off staying away from X, Y and Z’.

“In my situation, I was at a parliamentary event and a certain male MP made a beeline for me. I started to feel really uncomfortable because he was being far too over-cavalier.

“It was actually a Conservative MP – a former minister – who took me aside and said ‘Look, it seems like you feel uncomfortable. Do you want to stay with me? You’re probably best just to stay away from that person’.

Ms Qaisar, who is a former high school teacher, has said that it shouldn't be the job of women to bring forward a change on issues surrounding misogyny.

“Why is the responsibility being put on women? Far too often it is women who are told ‘Don’t wear skirts’. It’s women who are told ‘Be careful with what you wear’,” she said.

“We need a culture change where men are held responsible for their own actions.

"“In Westminster, we have this culture where we have late-night votes, a high-pressure environment and numerous bars in the Parliamentary estate.

“All those factors can enable men, usually those elected or in high office, to become predatory.”

And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Why not head to our page and give us a like and share.

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