Caroline Nokes tells of about 50 'creepy' incidents in her time as MP

A elder Tory MP says she has experienced inappropriate behaviour astir 50 times during her 13 years successful the House of Commons.

Caroline Nokes, who chairs the women and equalities committee, told the BBC what immoderate women moving astatine Westminster had been done was "horrific".

Whips, successful complaint of enactment discipline, needed to gully up a tougher and clearer codification of behaviour for MPs, she said.

And she called for Rishi Sunak to nonstop a awesome helium backed stricter measures.

Ms Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, told the BBC's Newsnight that behaviour had improved since she entered the Commons successful 2010, and radical who worked successful Parliament felt they could talk retired much freely.

She besides said the "vast bulk of MPs enactment truly hard, effort to bash the close happening and are perfectly escaped from this benignant of suspicion".

But pressed connected however galore "inappropriate oregon weird oregon creepy" incidents she had been subjected to successful Parliament, Ms Nokes replied: "Definitely much than 20, astir apt successful the portion of 50."

She added: "I tin deliberation of an incidental wherever a subordinate of the House of Lords, successful a restaurant, said hullo to me, walked past, turned around, came backmost and stroked my bare limb successful the beingness of a journalist.

"I tin deliberation of different incidents wherever a Labour MP patted maine connected the backside and told maine that I've done good to suffer weight. Now he, successful that instance, looked astir arsenic shocked arsenic I did, and intelligibly instantly regretted what he'd done.

"But different incidents, wherever colleagues person enactment their hands connected my thigh and told maine astatine large length, however their wives don't recognize them. It's conscionable horrific."

She said determination were radical she would not get successful a assistance with and pistillate MPs would "provide accusation to each different connected who to trust, who not to trust, who we deliberation is simply a small spot creepy".

Despite the expanding fig of women successful the Commons, determination was inactive a "really laddish civilization wherever the 'banter' defence is utilized - 'oh well, she conscionable can't instrumentality a spot of banter'".

"It's conscionable not acceptable successful the 21st period workplace," she said.

She called for a caller codification of behaviour to beryllium "absolutely explicit" successful spelling retired that touching colleagues oregon watching pornography successful Parliament was unacceptable, urging whips successful each parties to enactment unneurotic connected caller rules.

"There can't beryllium immoderate grey areas, and it has to use arsenic to members of the House of Lords," she said.

On Thursday, the Commons standards committee found that erstwhile Tory MP Chris Pincher, who present sits arsenic an independent, should beryllium suspended from the Commons for 8 weeks for drunkenly groping 2 men.

Mr Pincher's behaviour astatine the backstage members' Carlton Club successful London was "profoundly damaging" and "especially grave" due to the fact that it amounted to an maltreatment of powerfulness and was an "egregious lawsuit of intersexual misconduct", the committee said.

Downing Street said it was a substance for Mr Pincher whether helium should resign arsenic MP for Tamworth, which would trigger a by-election. A by-election could besides effect if MPs o.k. the committee's report.

Ms Nokes said helium should amusement enactment for the standards committee's findings successful the Pincher case.

She hoped a ballot would not beryllium needed, with MPs endorsing the study without dissent, but Mr Sunak had "a relation to play successful accepting the recommendations".

Pushed connected whether Mr Sunak should beryllium successful the Commons erstwhile Mr Pincher's lawsuit was considered, she said: "I deliberation the premier curate could bash that for us.

"I deliberation that would beryllium a truly beardown awesome that he's not going to tolerate it, and that would nonstop a connection to the main [whip]: get this sorted."

On Tuesday, Mhairi Black, the SNP's lawman person astatine Westminster, announced she was stepping down arsenic an MP astatine the adjacent wide election, describing Westminster arsenic an "outdated, sexist and toxic" moving environment.

She blamed information concerns, societal media maltreatment and unsociable hours.