Priti Patel gets confronted by sexist comment on TV, then gets told Boris Johnson said it

Priti Patel has labelled sexist comments made by Boris Johnson as “appalling” and “unacceptable”.

Johnson once said that the best way to deal with a female coworker was to “pat her on her bottom and send her on her way.”

The Home Secretary was confronted by the comments yesterday when appearing ITV’s Peston, hosted by journalist Robert Peston.

But she was unaware that the remarks were made by the prime minister when he used to edit The Spectator.

Patel’s responded by saying: “I would not accept that at all. It’s fair to say that I would say... if that ever happens to me that is just simply unacceptable.

“That is not respectable, it’s appalling.”

After Peston told her the words were Johnson’s, Patel said she did not put up with comments like that.

“I’m not the type of person, I think it’s pretty well known that, to sort of sit back and accept you know really quite disparaging and derogatory remarks,” she said.

“I myself have been subject to things of that nature in the past, and I just don’t think that’s acceptable. I would speak out against that.”

This exchange is in response to Johnson addressing the Commons about the requirement for “cultural and social change in attitudes towards women and girls”.

Patel also spoke about Cressida Dick, the commissioner for the Metropolitan police and the calls surrounding her resignation, saying that without a full report into events at the vigil at Clapham Common on 13 March it would be “wrong to end up in this prejudging phase.”

She also is willing to work with Labour’s Keir Starmer for improving women’s safety, saying “I work with everybody.”

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