Jess Phillips receives ‘vile’ email while appearing on BBC Live Politics show

Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips read out a misogynistic email calling her a “dirty bought and paid for whore” that she received while appearing on BBC Politics Live on Thursday afternoon.

Phillips, who is the Labour Party’s Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, was on the programme to discuss the possibility of law makers in England and Wales making misogyny a criminal offence.

“I am just going to say something that has happened while I have been on your television programme,” said Phillips.

“Because I am on the tele right now, I have received an email the tagline of which reads ‘you dirty bought and paid for whore’.

“If I appear on anything, this is the sort of thing I get.

“And if I took this to the police now I would not be able to take them up for hating me because I am a woman.”

She added: “I was able to go to the police about another individual who is now prison.

“However, the only reason he was convicted was because of the racist nature of the email.

“Even though that person had talked about my violent and brutal rape in those messages I couldn’t take him on any of the grounds that he hated me because I am a woman.”

When Phillips finished talking BBC Politics Live host Jo Coburn went back to the studio to ask the other panellists for their reaction.

“That’s just horrible,” said Telegraph journalist Madeline Grant.

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