The trouble with bankers is that they have “big swinging dicks”, according to Marlborough’s Tory MP Claire Perry, who used the embarrassing phrase twice during a Radio Five Live debate.
And now the 48-year-old mother of three has been forced to apologise for her lewd language during the debate on Sunday about the major rate-fixing banking scandal, which is to be probed by a full parliamentary inquiry ordered by David Cameron.
And was followed today (Tuesday) with the resignation of Barclays’ chief executive Bob Diamond amid the whirl of allegations creating turmoil in the City
Mrs Perry is herself a former banker in New York, and worked for Chancellor George Osborne before standing as MP for the Devizes constituency at the last election and easily winning the safe seat.
She twice used her own personal description of the culture of bankers as “big swinging dicks” on the trading floor before being called to a halt by Anna Foster, the BBC radio show host.
“Claire I’m going to have to stop you using that analogy,” Anna insisted. “At eight minutes past seven on a Sunday morning it risks causing offence. So let’s move on from that.”
Mrs Perry replied immediately: “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”
She had been describing the macho world she found in banking in Wall Street and told surprised listeners: “It’s the most testosterone filled, you know, swinging dick culture you’ve ever seen.”
And the incident later forced Mrs Perry to apologise on the Twitter social network for the macho comment following a complaint from one upset parent that his children had heard her comment.
She tweeted: “Quite rightly told off for using trading-floor language on bbc5live to illustrate banks’ macho culture.”
