It was only in 1991 that the House of Lords ruled that marital rape was illegal. This was just one of the many facts I needed reminding of and found in barrister Harriet Johnson’s compelling and forensically written book Enough: the Violence Against Women and How to End It. I thought as I read it that we should probably find comfort in the huge steps taken since then to protect us from violence; particularly sexual violence, misogyny and stereotyping. Especially regarding the lazy tropes centred on women and their “availability” for sex. And yet…
For those of you who have been distracted by other news, let me recount what’s happened in Westminster this week: a Tory MP was accused of watching porn in the House of Commons — on multiple occasions and during a debate. Meanwhile, his colleagues were busy smearing Angela Rayner, below, suggesting she used Basic Instinct moves to distract Boris Johnson at PMQs. A female Labour MP has accused a member of the shadow Cabinet of making deeply sexist comments towards her, and this came amid reports that 56 MPs, including Cabinet ministers, face allegations of sexual misconduct.
