Nicola Sturgeon claims #MeToo has seen sexism and misogyny in politics manifest itself in ‘different ways’ – and describes Boris Johnson allegedly calling her ‘that Wee Jimmy Krankie woman’ as ‘abuse’
- Nicola Sturgeon said the #MeToo movement has helped women reassess things
- Says movement may have led some men to find other means of hurling abuse
- SNP leader has been fighting for an independent Scotland since the age of 16
Nicola Sturgeon has claimed #MeToo has seen sexism and misogyny in politics manifest itself in different ways – and described Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s alleged remark referring to her as ‘that bloody Wee Jimmy Krankie woman’ as ‘abuse’.
The leader of the Scottish National Party, 49, who has been fighting for an independent Scotland since the age of 16, praised the movement for making a lot of women ‘reassess’ behaviours they may have once ‘put up with’.
However, she mused that while new measures have been put in place within her party to protect its female members, they may have also provoked some men to find other means of hurling abuse at women.
She told The Sunday Times Magazine: ‘I sometimes wonder if because they can’t behave in these ways any more, that then fuels some of this abuse some men hurl at women.
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon, 49, has said the #MeToo movement has helped women reassess behaviours they may have once ‘put up with’
‘They think, “I’m going to take it out on you in another way”. I think some of the sexism and misogyny that was so rife in my younger days, it’s not completely gone at all. It just manifests itself in different ways.’
Ms Sturgeon’s comments come over a week after Boris Johnson allegedly referred to her as ‘that bloody Wee Jimmy Krankie woman’ during a Number 10 meeting to discuss this year’s climate summit in Glasgow.
During the meeting, former minister Claire Perry O’Neill had suggested the Prime Minister offer the Scottish politician a formal role at the summit in a bid to stop the Scottish National Party from damaging the event.
However Mr Johnson allegedly replied: ‘Over my f****** dead body. I’m not being driven out of Scotland by that bloody Wee Jimmy Krankie woman.’
The Krankies were a Scottish comedy duo during the 1970s and 1980s which featured Janette Tough, now 72, as the schoolboy Wee Jimmy Krankie and her husband husband Ian, also now 72, as the boy’s father.
Ms Sturgeon’s comments come over a week after Boris Johnson allegedly referred to her as ‘that bloody Wee Jimmy Krankie woman’ during a Number 10 meeting to discuss this year’s climate summit in Glasgow. Pictured: Nicola Sturgeon welcomes Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside Bute House in Edinburgh in July
In response Ms Sturgeon, who admitted it was a nickname she’d heard before, claimed his alleged remark is ‘meant as a term of abuse’.
She went on to explain how early in her career she had tried to fit in with how her fellow colleagues dressed, but due to the fact those around her were middle-aged men, she was always going to be called out for not being ‘feminine enough’.
Speaking about the role of gender in her political career, Ms Sturgeon said #MeToo has shone a light on the inappropriate behaviour of male colleagues which she and female colleagues previously put up with, from leering to being touched in ‘slightly uncomfortable ways’.
The Krankies were a Scottish comedy duo during which featured Janette Tough as the schoolboy Wee Jimmy Krankie
The politician recalled a particular incident early in her career which left her feeling uneasy.
She told how during a lunch with a political editor of a Scottish newspaper, he conducted most of the meeting while looking at her chest.
Ms Sturgeon admitted she did not say anything to him or anyone else at the time because that sort of behaviour at the time seemed ‘normal’ to her.
She added that the man in question probably didn’t think he was doing anything untoward, and it was the sort of thing she was used to putting up with.
Ms Sturgeon recalled a particular incident early in her career which left her feeling uneasy
The #MeToo movement was founded in 2006 before it was propelled into the spotlight following the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017.
Earlier this month, Ms Perry O’Neil publicly spoke about Mr Johnson’s anger at the SNP leader.
She told BBC Radio 4: ‘I did suggest Nicola Sturgeon be given a job, which the Prime Minister heartily and saltily rebutted’.
A Number 10 spokesman denied the PM made the Jimmy Krankie comment.