Wes Streeting

No, I think actually there were more internal government conversations as well.

And I was looking at those messages and I thought, I know these people.

They're good people.

They're progressives.

They're not remotely sexist in terms of their values and their attitudes.

But nonetheless, here we've got a good example of everyday sexism and a boys' club right at the heart of government.

And the complaints we've had from women in the Cabinet and more broadly about a boys' club is absolutely true in government.

And there is also a culture in government that shuts down debate, discussion, creativity, free thinking, and it is suffocating our politics.

And it's actually leaving us...

weaker and on the back foot i mean take josh mcallister's work when he came in as a new m this is new mp he's now the children's minister but back then he was a backbencher was a teacher was an expert on children's social care came in and said i've got an idea for a private members bill around tackling smartphones in schools huge issue everyone now agrees with josh at the time rather than saying great idea zeitgeist of every parent's whatsapp group

good debate good conversations have well done new mp um he was basically told why are you doing this you're rocking the boat it's not helpful you need to water down your bill and he was treated as if he was an inconvenience rather than a bright person with good ideas and exactly the sort of finger on the pulse that we need since you and backbenchers are treated like this all the time since you mentioned the peter mandelson messages

I was surprised.

And the person who actually I think comes out with bucket loads of integrity actually this week is Pat McFadden.

I didn't like the way that his message was jumped on by the Tories, not least because last week,

Pat was showing exactly what good welfare reform looks like and the way in which he was elevating a million young people in this country to not a spreadsheet issue of how much the benefits are costing but a moral cause of the lifetime impact of youth unemployment the waste of talent and potential I was like spot on and I felt sorry for him this week because I could see how

a message taken out of context and weaponised was a total distraction.

I think that... I think there can be an element of truth on that in the left.

I also think, though, that... If I think back to the heat of that moment on the welfare bill...

That wasn't actually the issue.

And I'll be honest, I think the Parliamentary Labour Party gets grossly miscaricatured.