- Cabinet minister joked about emerging from the interview with dignity intact
- Veteran Labour politician Neil Kinnock joked about John Humphrys and groping
- Gove’s joke was met with laughs but Twitter users branded remarks ‘disgusting’
- Scores of women have accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and sexual assault
Cabinet minister Michael Gove has been blasted for a ‘disgusting’ joke comparing difficult radio interviews with entering Harvey Weinstein’s bedroom.
The Tory MP was branded a ‘gormless pillock’, ‘unfunny cretin’ and ‘massive tool’ after his remarks on BBC’s Radio 4 Today for a special edition marking the show’s 60th anniversary.
He told presenter John Humphrys: ‘Sometimes I think coming into the studio with you John is a bit like going into Harvey Weinstein’s bedroom – you hope to emerge with your dignity intact.’
Michael Gove told John Humphrys that doing a radio interview with him is like entering Harvey Weinstein’s bedroom
Veteran Labour politician Neil Kinnock, appearing alongside Mr Gove, then waded in with a joke about groping.
‘John goes further than groping,’ he said.
The jokes were met with laughter and applause from the audience in the studio and the BBC’s Nick Robinson Tweeted Gove’s joke with a hashtag celebrating the show’s anniversary.
But listeners criticised Mr Gove for his joke on Twitter, where his remarks were branded ‘disgusting’.
Hadley Freeman Tweeted: ‘That’s @michaelgove, that is. Kicking off the weekend with a rape joke. It’s funny, because it’s laughing at rape victims!’
Michael Gove and John Humphreys guffawing as they joke about Weinstein’s groping is not how I want to start my day #r4today
— Isobel (@E2Teacher) October 28, 2017
Another Twitter user wrote: ‘Think rape and sexual assault is something to joke about, do you?’
Twitter user Steph Howarth said she was ‘aghast’ at the joke, adding: ‘Surely nobody with an inch of sense or humanity would think this was a joking matter?’
In recent weeks scores of women have accused Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.
The producer denies all allegations of non-consensual sex but has been sacked by his own film company.
Three privileged white men – John Humphries, Neil Kinnock and Michael Gove using sexual assault as a punchline. Seriously @BBCRadio4 ��
— Mic Wright (@brokenbottleboy) October 28, 2017
The allegations are being investigation by police in the UK and the US, with some women reporting attacks in London.
Mr Gove’s remarks come after James Corden was forced to apologise over jokes he made about Weinstein while he was hosting the AmfAR charity gala in Los Angeles.
He said: ‘It’s a beautiful night here in LA. So beautiful, Harvey Weinstein has already asked tonight up to his hotel to give him a massage.’