Katy Balls Katy Balls

International Men’s Day debate descends into battle of the sexes

Today the Commons played host to a battle of the sexes as MPs gathered for a bad-tempered debate to mark International Men’s Day, for the first time in its history. Philip Davies led the charge, following his campaign for the event to be given the same treatment as International Women’s Day. He called for more to be done regarding suicide rates and educational under-achievement among men and raised the issue of ‘the part-time gender pay gap’, which sees women paid 6 per cent more than men.

‘It is unlikely that men will get cervical cancer,’ Sir Paul Beresford observed, before arguing that boys ought to be given the HPV vaccination to help prevent mouth and throat cancer. The Conservative MP then moved onto the latest turn in these ‘seriously worrying’ times for men — a woman playing King Lear.

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