Jared O'Mara quits women's committee after it emerges the Labour MP joked Girls Aloud should 'come have an orgy'

Sorry: Jared O'Mara apologised for the comments
Eleanor Rose24 October 2017

Labour MP Jared O'Mara has quit his position on the Commons Women and Equalities Committee after it emerged that he joked about having an orgy with members of Girls Aloud.

The joke was one in a series of offensive comments posted online by Mr O'Mara before he was elected as MP for Sheffield Hallam. He also suggested it would be funny if jazz star Jamie Cullum was "sodomised with his own piano".

In a comment posted on the Drowned in Sound music website in 2004, Mr O'Mara said: "Girls Aloud - I advise you to sack Sarah and the remaining four members (Nicola, Cheryl, Nadine and Kimberley) come have an orgy with me."

In March 2004 on the same forum, he suggested Pop Idol's 2003 victor McManus "only won because she was fat".

Mr O'Mara, who has cerebral palsy, added: "Being a disabled person, I would hate to win something because people thought I was 'brave' or felt sorry for me, rather than for my superior ability/talent."

Girls Aloud: Cheryl with Sarah Harding, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh
Fred Duval/Getty

In the same post, he said of Cullum: "It would be no great loss to the music world if he was sodomised with his own piano and subsequently died of a sore arse.

"In fact, it would be quite funny."

After the comments appeared on the Guido Fawkes website, Mr O'Mara issued a statement apologising for the remarks which he said were offensive and unacceptable.

His office said that he had also stood down from his position on the Women and Equalities Committee, informing MPs of his decision at the weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

"He has decided to stand down. He has made that decision," a spokesman for the MP said.

Sheffield Hallam MP Mr O'Mara, who ousted former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg in the June election, said: "I am deeply ashamed of the comments I made online, which have emerged today.

"I was wrong to make them, I understand why they are offensive and sincerely apologise for my use of such unacceptable language.

"I made the comments as a young man, at a particularly difficult time in my life, but that is no excuse.

Targeted: Jamie Cullum
Getty Images

"Misogyny is a deep problem in our society.

"Since making those comments 15 years ago, I have learned about inequalities of power and how violent language perpetuates them.

"I continue to strive to be a better man and work where I can to confront misogyny, which is why I'm so proud to sit on the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

"I will continue to engage with, and crucially learn from, feminist and other equalities groups so as an MP I can do whatever I can to tackle misogyny."

Liberal Democrat peer and former leader of Sheffield Council Lord Scriven said of the comments: "It seems like a nasty pattern of sexist language and misogyny is developing from the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT