Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan warns ‘misogyny’ on display in Dominic Cummings’ foul-mouthed Covid WhatsApp messages – in which he referred to a top female official as a ‘c***’ – risks putting women off entering politics

Cabinet Secretary Michelle Donelan today warned that the ‘misogyny’ evident in Dominic Cummings’ WhatsApp messages could put women off entering politics.

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology admitted she was ‘concerned’ about the language used by senior Downing Street staff during the Covid crisis.

Mr Cummings, a senior No 10 aide to ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was confronted over his foul-mouthed messages this week when he appeared before the official inquiry into the pandemic.

It was revealed how Mr Cummings branded a top female executive a ‘c***’ in a WhatsApp group and claimed he would ‘personally handcuff her and escort her out of the building’.

Ms Donelan told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘I think I’m concerned about some of the revelations and the comments that are coming out here.

“Because my biggest concern is that other women will see and hear that rhetoric and decide that maybe politics isn’t for them.”

Mr Cummings, a former senior Number 10 assistant, branded a top female official a ‘c***’ and claimed he would ‘personally handcuff her and escort her out of the building’.

She added: “I will not tolerate misogyny in any workplace. It makes me deeply concerned or angry, if you will, when it comes to rhetoric that is not appropriate, especially because we are supposed to lead by example.”

Ms Donelan, who was Education Minister at the height of the pandemic, said she had not personally experienced any misogynistic behaviour.

She added ‘we must encourage Parliament and the ministerial team to be as diverse as possible’ and stressed that this is what Rishi Sunak has done as Prime Minister.

“What we want to make sure is that the next generation of politicians that comes forward equally represents different parts of society and we don’t keep people away from politics because that would be to the detriment of democracy,” he continued. minister.

“So I worry about the countless women who will hear this and I read these comments.”

Mr Cummings’ foul-mouthed messages were about Helen MacNamara, who was one of Britain’s most senior civil servants during the Covid crisis.

When challenged about the nature of his messages, Mr Cummings told the Covid inquiry this week that he is ‘certainly not’ a misogynist.

He said: ‘I wasn’t misogynistic. I was much more rude about men than I was about Helen.

“I agree that my language is deplorable, but as you can see for yourself, I have used the same or worse language (against) the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary or other people.”

Ms MacNamara, the former deputy cabinet secretary, gave her own testimony to the inquiry, describing a “toxic culture” in Number 10 during the pandemic.

Speaking about Mr Cummings’ WhatsApp messages, she said: ‘It’s awful to read, but it’s both surprising and unsurprising to me, and I don’t really know which is worse.

“I think he was frustrated with me at the time, I would absolutely acknowledge that.

‘I would also say that I actually only worked in the service of the then Prime Minister and defended his interests.’

Liz Kendall, Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary, told Times Radio she does not know “what planet” Ms Donelan is on, after the minister claimed she had never experienced a macho culture in Westminster.

She said: “Every woman has experienced misogyny and sexism. I did hear part of your interview with Michelle Donelan. I thought I didn’t know what planet she lives on, but it’s not the same one I’m on.”