Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson has said Gregg Wallace’s response to the accusations being made against him was “inappropriate and misogynistic”.
The MasterChef presenter, who faces various allegations of making “inappropriate sexual jokes” and complaints about his behaviour, has said the claims have come from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
Wallace, 60, faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, with many others sharing their experiences in recent days. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has since held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row, Downing Street said.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Culture Secretary spoke with the BBC leadership at the end of last week on this matter and wider workplace culture issues to seek assurances that there are robust processes in place to deal with complaints. Clearly the comments we have seen from the individual over the weekend were completely inappropriate and misogynistic.
“More broadly the BBC is conducting an independent review into workplace culture which must deliver clear and timely recommendations. It’s essential that staff and the wider public have confidence that the BBC takes these issues seriously.” Asked whether MasterChef should be pulled off air, the spokesman added the decision was for the BBC and the show’s production company, and reiterated that Downing Street believes it is “right” that a thorough investigation is conducted.
Addressing the accusations in a post on Instagram on Sunday, Wallace said: “I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.” In another video, Wallace claimed “absolutely none” of the people he had worked with on his shows had made a complaint about him.
Wallace’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”. He has since apologised for the comments. He said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.
“I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it. It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out, now while this investigation is underway. I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”
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