Claims male MSPs paid a prostitute for sex raised by Scots MP in Westminster
Claims male MSPs paid a prostitute for sex have been raised by a Scottish MP in Westminster.
Labour MP Tracy Gilbert raised the Daily Record's bombshell front page about a former prostitute claiming current MSPs bought sex from her when she sold her body for money.
The Edinburgh North and Leith MP said during a Westminster Hall debate: "Shockingly but not surprisingly, it was revealed last month that multiple members of the Scottish Parliament have paid for sex. We can only predict that members or former members of this House have too."
Alba MSP Ash Regan told us last month the woman who was a former prostitute came forward to her after recognising her former male clients on TV.
The revelation came as Regan launched a Bill to clampdown on people who pay for sex.
Labour MP Gilbert called for the UK Government to consider criminalising the buying - but not the selling - of sex.
In her Westminster Hall debate, Gilbert said the move would reduce the demand driving prostitution and sex trafficking.
Some activities related to prostitution are currently illegal while sex buyers can fall foul of kerb crawling laws. Criminalisation of the buying of sex has been adopted in countries such as Sweden and Norway.
In her speech, Gilbert gave examples of reviews made after the buying of sex. One said: 'Bad attitude. Everything was off limits.' Another said: 'Finally got her to lay there but it's like s******g a dead fish.' A third added: 'No smile, her atrocious English made the interactions even more impossible.'
Gilbert added: 'Men who buy sex are reviewing women as if they are reviewing an Xbox game. These comments prove that men who pay for sex treat women as subordinate sex objects whose role is to service their sexual desires.'
She said current legislation fails to effectively deter those who purchase sex: ' In one UK study, for instance, researchers asked over 1200 sex buyers, 'Would you change your behaviour if a law was introduced that made it a crime to pay for sex?'
"Over half said they would 'definitely', 'probably' or 'possibly' change their behaviour.
"While sex buyers are driven by male sexual entitlement, ultimately, they do it because they can.
"Because the law isn't just failing to stop these men, it is making it easy.'
She added: "It's time to bring demand into the full glare of the law – and stop sex buyers perpetrating this industrialised form of violence against women.'
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