‘He’s also an expert on trade’: Matt Hancock defends Tony Abbott after claims he is homophobe and misogynist
Health secretary wants everyone ‘to love who they love’ – but thinks former Australia PM has necessary experience for UK trade role
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Your support makes all the difference.Matt Hancock has defended a government “proposal” to give former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott a key role forging post-Brexit trade deals for the UK – despite concerns about his attitude towards women and homosexuality.
The health secretary said a potential appointment was justified purely because of his trade “experience”, but did not attempt to defend the ex-Australian leader’s history of controversial remarks.
“I bow to nobody in my support for everybody to love who they love, whoever that is, as you know,” said Mr Hancock during an awkward interview with Sky News after host Kay Burley pointed out he was wearing an “NHS Pride badge”.
“But we need to have the best experts working in their field, and as the former prime minister of Australia, obviously Mr Abbott has got a huge amount of experience.”
Pressed by Ms Burley as to whether it mattered if Mr Abbott was "a homophobic misogynist," Mr Hancock said: “I don’t think that’s true.”
When Ms Burley repeated that Mr Abbott was a “homophobe and a misogynist”, Mr Hancock said: “He’s also an expert in trade … He’s obviously an enormous expert in the field of trade, [but] it doesn’t change my views.”
The former Australian PM is expected to be appointed “joint president” of Britain’s relaunched Board of Trade, according to The Sun, while other reports have suggested he is being lined up for only an “advisory” position on the body.
Mr Abbott confirmed he was in “discussions” with the government about a possible trade role when appearing before the Common’s foreign affairs select committee on Tuesday.
He later caused controversy at a Policy Exchange think tank speech in London – suggesting that families should be able to consider allowing elderly relatives with the coronavirus to die by letting “nature take its course”.
The divisive figure has been accused by both the UK’s Labour Party and leading political figures in Australia of misogyny, homophobia and downplaying the science on climate change.
He was accused of misogyny after he questioned whether men having more power than women was necessarily “a bad thing”.
Mr Abbott also once described a young, female candidate in his own Liberal Party as having “sex appeal” and campaigned strongly against same-sex marriage.
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