Contrition, it might not surprise you to learn, was in short supply.
A Daily Mail spokesperson has responded to criticism over its front page on Tuesday, which showed a picture of British Prime Minister Theresa May seated beside First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon alongside the headline ‘Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!’
The newspaper came in for a barrage of criticism once the front page appeared on social media on Monday night and again once the paper was published on Tuesday morning, facing accusations of blatant sexism and of ‘taking Britain back to the early 1970s,” an accusation made by Sturgeon herself.
The absolute state of this. What year is it? pic.twitter.com/ZZBsLcpzDI
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) March 27, 2017
As well as facing public opprobrium, the Daily Mail were also the subject of a complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation by Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green party.
Womack said that “to bring the politicians’ appearance into this story is not only entirely irrelevant but incredibly disrespectful”.
“This headline and the further derogatory comments inside the paper would not have even been considered, let alone published, if the two politicians in question had been men,” she added.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Daily Mail spokesperson responded to requests for comment by a number of reporters, saying, as per the Guardian: “For goodness sake, get a life! Sarah Vine’s piece, which was flagged as light-hearted, was a side-bar alongside a serious political story. It appeared in an 84-page paper packed with important news and analysis, a front page exclusive on cost-cutting in the NHS and a health supplement devoted to women’s health issues.
“For the record, the Mail was the paper which, more than any other, backed Theresa May for the top job. Again for the record, we often comment on the appearance of male politicians including Cameron’s waistline, Osborne’s hair, Corbyn’s clothes – and even Boris’s legs.
“Is there a rule that says political coverage must be dull or has a po-faced BBC and leftwing commentariat, so obsessed by the Daily Mail, lost all sense of humour … and proportion?”
