‘Upskirting’ ban MP targeted by knicker protest

An MP who blocked a new law criminalising “upskirting” has had knickers draped outside his constituency office in protest.

What is upskirting?

The term refers to the surreptitious taking of sexually intrusive photographs.

Freelance writer Gina Martin has led a campaign to make the practice illegal after police declined to prosecute a man accused of taking pictures up her skirt at a music festival in London last summer.

Who opposed banning it?

Last Friday, Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope was criticised by party colleagues and women’s rights campaigners after blocking a voyeurism bill to make upskirting a criminal offence.

In an interview with his local newspaper, the Bournemouth Echo, the MP for Christchurch in Dorset said he was “being scapegoated”, and said while he actually supported measures to make “vulgar, humiliating and unacceptable” upskirting illegal, he had blocked the bill on procedural grounds.

He said he does not agree with legislation being brought before parliament on a Friday when there it not time for it to be debated.

What was the reaction?

Cabinet ministers were among those who publicly criticised the move. The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, said his daughters would be disappointed and insisted that the law needed to be reformed.

Tory backbenchers were “furious at the damage done to the party’s reputation”, The Guardian reports. Conservative MP Simon Clarke said that Chope had “embarrassed himself” and “does not speak for me or Conservatives” on the issue while fellow Dorset MP and defence minister Tobias Ellwood branded him “a dinosaur”.

On Monday, Chope’s Commons office door was adorned with a string of knickers, while homemade knickers bunting was also hung outside his constituency office in protest.

Lorna Rees, the artist behind the underwear protest, sais: “No-one should be able to photo my pants unless I want them to”.

In several posts on Twitter, she added: “I hope my anti-Chope constituency pant protest shows solidarity.

“He’s not representing the best interests of people – protecting women in this case – he’s crying parliamentary procedure and hiding.”

What’s the government’s position?

Over the weekend, Theresa May promised that the government would take on the legislation, which would create a new criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

The proposed legislation – officially called the Voyeurism (Offences) Bill – will return to parliament on 6 July, and if approved, may still become law this summer.