Sir Michael Fallon 'told journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer he doesn't blame her sexual harassment scan

Publish date: 2022-01-12

SIR Michael Fallon has told Julia Hartley-Brewer he doesn’t blame her for his fall from grace, the journalist has said.

The Tory heavyweight stepped down as Defence Secretary after it emerged he repeatedly touched her on the knee during a dinner.

When Fallon wrote to PM Theresa May to say he could not continue in his post, he said his past behaviour had "fallen below the high standards required".

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Hartley-Brewer said it appeared claims subsequent to hers "may have been the final nail in his coffin".

She said: "Since his resignation, I have exchanged text messages with Sir Michael in which he made it abundantly clear that he does not blame me for his resignation."

The journalist said the chain of events had been set off "completely by accident" when she told what she thought was an "amusing story".

Sir Michael Fallon say's he has 'fallen short' of standards expected of the armed forces in wake of

Hartley-Brewer said she had threatened to "punch an MP in the face for repeatedly putting his hand on my knee" at the 2002 Tory party conference.

But she insisted she had told the tale "without malice aforethought".

The journalist voiced concern over the current furore over sleaze in Westminster.

She said it risks "returning to a puritanical age where every interaction between any male politician and Any Woman He Has Ever Met is now the subject of righteous investigation".

Gavin Williamson appointed Defence Secretary replacing Sir Michael Fallon following his resignation

Several male Tory and Labour MPs have been accused of behaving inappropriately towards female colleagues and staff.

The allegations include unwanted advances, harassment and assaults, with a list of alleged offenders emerging.

But a number of the claims have been questioned.

Hartley-Brewer said Westminster was in the grip of a "media witch-hunt" that risked creating a "sterile world, where men and women never speak or touch in the workplace".

She added: "That's not the world most of us want to live in."

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