North East based Conservative Peer, Lord Michael Bates has today called on Nick Clegg to suspend Greg Stone as the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Newcastle upon Tyne East whilst his conduct in publishing personally demeaning comments about a number of female MPs on the Guido Fawkes website under the pseudonym Inamicus is investigated.
Shadow Communities and Local Government Minister, Lord Bates said “Greg Stone’s personal comments about female MPs (Anne McIntosh, Theresa Villiers, Theresa May, Jacqui Smith, Hazel Blears, Sharon Hodgson and Roberta Blackman-Woods), display a misogyny which has no place in modern politics”. He continued, “The challenge we face in politics is how to get more women involved in our political process and these types of comments will have the opposite effect and Nick Clegg should send a clear message that this type of conduct is unacceptable”.
In his New Year message to Newcastle voters Nick Clegg said that the Liberal Democrats “are working hard to rebuild the people of Newcastle's faith in politics.” Lord Bates said, “If Nick Clegg really wants to rebuild the people of Newcastle’s faith in politics especially female voters then he should start by suspending his Parliamentary Spokesman for Newcastle East, Greg Stone, and launching a full investigation.”
Lord Bates drew parallels with the Damien McBride case last year when Nick Clegg rightly criticised Gordon Brown’s lack of judgment in hiring Damien McBride, referring to McBride’s activities as “sordid” adding “it says a lot about the rot at the heart of government”. Lord Bates said, “Until Nick Clegg shows clear leadership in this matter people will be wondering whether these remarks by Greg Stone are representative of a ‘rot at the heart of the Liberal Democrats.” | 
