Phillips: I was quiet over work sex pests

FORMER politician and broadcaster Trevor Phillips has admitted he was “complicit” in workplace harassment of young women.

The former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who has worked for the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, said that such behaviour was commonplace in TV.

Phillips admitted he was guilty of doing little to prevent the targeting of young women by those who might “pay our mortgages”.

Speaking on a panel discussing diversity at the Royal Television Society conference in London, he also said that he believes little has changed.

Phillips said: “After Weinstein, this has been an issue for everyone in the entertainment industry.

Weird

“When I was active in television, we would get a new young person, usually a young woman, in the office, and say ‘There's the coffee machine, there's the photocopier, there's your desk'. All that stuff.

“But then we'd say ‘Hold on – everybody here is very nice – but try not to get into a lift with Pete. He's a brilliant guy, he pays all our mortgages, but I think he's a little bit weird'.

“That was us dealing with harassment.

“The truth is, we were complicit. We'd like to say it has changed, but it hasn't.”

Phillips asked the panel, including head of inclusion at Barclays, Mark McLane, what could be done to change the situation.

Mr McLane said: “You have to speak up and say it's not right.

“Allowing things to happen is acceptance.”

Discussing where to spend money to improve diversity in the media, Phillips said: “There is a danger British television could end up like the aristocracy.

“A limited pool of rather inbred talent.”