Ruth Davidson accuses the BBC of discriminating against ‘people with breasts’
The Scottish Tory leader panned the broadcaster for setting a poor example to the rest of society by paying its male presenters thousands more than their female colleagues
RUTH Davidson has accused the BBC of discriminating against “people with breasts”.
The Scottish Tory leader, 39, panned the broadcaster for setting a poor example to the rest of society by p than their female colleagues.
Speaking at an iNHouse event at Tory conference Ms Davidson blasted: “If you can’t get it right at the BBC, how can you get it right at other places?”
Ms Davidson, who is eight months pregnant, recalled how she was refused a pay rise when she was a radio presenter in the early 2000s - despite her co-host being given a third more.
She said she had "never felt actually so powerless"; and said she "got up and walked out" after the boss in Glasgow refused to match the pay.
A couple of weeks later the BBC offered an uplift - though still not as much as her male colleague - which she accepted.
Asked if she thought the power balance was partly because she's a woman, she said: "I don't know.
"And yet you look at the class action that's happening against the BBC right now ... there seems to be an awful lot of individual cases that relate only to people with breasts.
"Now I don't know how that works.
"Isn't that funny?"
The Scots Tory boss was launching her new book - Yes We Can, where she interviews a string of prominent women.
Ms Davidson added that the Beeb's pay gap problem wasn't just about high-profile presenters, after household names including Clare Balding, Victoria Derbyshire and Emily Maitlis spoke out.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
She said: "I was a very small piece... now there's over 100 women that are doing this at quote a high level right now.
"It's not just about presenters, it's not just about the names, but if this doesn't work, if this doesn't go through and get remedied, what does that mean for all the producers, the assistant producers, the runners, the researchers, and all the rest.
"And I think that's why it matters."