EXCL Minister blasts 'whiff of misogyny' in calls for Theresa May to quit over Brexit
2 min read
A female Tory minister has blasted fellow MPs over their “misogynistic” demand for Theresa May to quit in exchange for their support on Brexit.
She said the offer from pro-Brexit figures - as well as the habit of calling the PM “she” and “Mrs May” rather than 'the Prime Minister' - has “the whiff of misogyny about it”.
Dozens of pro-Brexit MPs are said to be willing to back the Brexit deal Mrs May struck with Brussels if she lays out a timetable for her departure, according to the Sun.
The Prime Minister is desperate to win support for her floundering agreement after it was twice voted down in the Commons.
One MP told the paper: “We need her to lay out a timetable for her departure this year.
“A decent amount of us have now told the whips we would change our vote and back the deal if she did - enough of us to get it through.”
But a minister shot back, telling PoliticsHome: “The whole thing has the whiff of misogyny about it.
“They wouldn’t be demanding she set out her departure date if the Prime Minister were a man.”
She added: “They say it's about principle but if they are prepared to back it in exchange for her quitting where is the principle in that?”
Her comments echo those of Foreign Office minister Mark Field, who told the Westminster Hour at the weekend: “The first of the two female Prime Ministers was hounded out of office by her Conservative colleagues.
“If we're now suggesting that's going to happen to the second I don't think that's a great look for my party.”
According to The Sun, pro-Brexit MPs want reassurances that Mrs May will not be leading the next stage of the negotiations with the EU.
“That’s the real prize, not the backstop, which she only needs to give us a fig leaf for quite frankly,” one told the paper.
Another said: “I’ve told my whip I’ll back the deal if she goes.
“There are dozens of colleagues who will do the same because everyone is so fed up. We urgently need new direction.”
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