How Italy’s deputy PM sparked a major backlash over his women’s skirts comments

• Italian deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani has faced intense criticism after claiming women who wear longer skirts make better wives and mothers.
• During a speech, the 73-year-old foreign minister suggested young men should choose a less flashy, more reliable partner with a slightly longer skirt for everlasting love.
• Opposing politicians condemned the remarks as backwards, with MP Chiara Appendino stating that a woman's reliability is not measured in centimetres of fabric.
• Far-right politician Roberto Vannacci stoked the controversy further by telling Italian media he prefers a woman without a skirt.
• Tajani subsequently apologised at the UN General Assembly , claiming his comments were misunderstood and that he never intended to cause offence.

IN FULL