Caroline Dinenage MP suffered 'inappropriate' behaviour in Parliament

Caroline Dinenage said she had been made to feel "uncomfortable" by a member of an opposition party

A former government minister has spoken of being subjected to "inappropriate" behaviour, amid revelations of sexism and harassment in Parliament.

MP for Gosport in Hampshire Dame Caroline Dinenage said she had been made to feel "uncomfortable" by a member of an opposition party.

She said another MP had raised the issue with the whips.

Dame Caroline also called for better whistleblowing procedures for MPs and people working in Parliament.

Her comments come as an unnamed minister accused a fellow Tory MP of watching porn in the Commons chamber.

She said: "The vast majority of colleagues have only ever behaved to me with respect, but I've heard about MPs on both sides behaving inappropriately. I have had a little bit of experience of it myself.

"Sometimes this behaviour is so low level that, as a woman, you just think 'am I being oversensitive'.

"It was making me feel very uncomfortable in terms of what was being said and behaviour - not respecting someone's personal space.

"The last time it happened to me, I didn't do anything about it - I didn't want the fuss and the bother, but one of the new intake of male MPs picked up on it and reported it on my behalf."

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Dame Caroline, who was health minister between 2018 and 2020, called for a whistleblowing system similar to that in the NHS.

"So much of the inappropriate behaviour happens behind closed doors between MPs and their staff. I've had a couple of young ladies come to me about the behaviour of their bosses.

"There isn't really a system of whistleblowers - like in the NHS where there are Freedom to Speak Up Guardians within every hospital - it would be much better if people felt there was someone to talk to."