A minister has told MPs she is “prepared to take further action” if the media industry cannot address “cultures of silence” in the wake of allegations about Gregg Wallace.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said there are “issues being swept under the rug” in relation to claims of misconduct. She made the remarks after production company Banijay UK opened an investigation into allegations against MasterChef host Mr Wallace.
He has stepped back from the show. Ms Nandy told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: “Having spoken with the BBC in recent weeks about the Gregg Wallace allegations, I am really clear that we’re seeing too many of these cultures of silence and issues being swept under the rug.
“People who cannot advance through the current complaints system because it would have an impact on their career, potentially ending their career. And I am clear that people need to be heard, action has to be taken and perpetrators have to be held to account.”
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Ms Nandy said that she will meet the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) – an independent body tackling bullying and harassment in the sector – on Wednesday.
The Culture Secretary added: “They think, and I instinctively think, that it is better if the industry grips this, but if they don’t I will be prepared to take further action.”
The BBC has previously said it will not “tolerate behaviour that falls below the standards we expect” and will continue to champion “a culture that is kind, inclusive and respectful”. In a message sent to staff by the corporation’s director-general, Tim Davie, and Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, on Friday, they also said that they would be supporting Banijay UK, the producers of MasterChef, in their investigation.
Last week Mr Wallace apologised for claiming complaints about his behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”, adding he will “take some time out”. His lawyers have previously strongly denied “he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.