September 25, 2013

Miliband: Page 3 is ‘an anachronism’ but I won’t ban it

There is no place in the modern world for pictures of topless women in newspapers like The Sun, Ed Miliband said today.

But the Labour leader stopped short of saying he will ban Page 3 pin-ups if he becomes prime minister after the 2015 general election.

Miliband said he was ready to speak with Sun editor David Dinsmore about his objection to the pictures, saying he did not want his sons Daniel and Samuel to grow up in a society where women were portrayed as sex objects.

In his keynote speech to Labour's annual conference in Brighton yesterday, Miliband said women were right to object to "everyday sexism" in British society.

Asked whether this meant he would ban Page 3, he told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm not in favour of banning it. I do think though that Page 3 is a total anachronism in this day and age.

"We have got a free press in this country and I think a ban on that is not right, but I will say to you very squarely, this is an issue I take very seriously.

"When I think about my two young sons – who admittedly are two and four at the moment – I don't want them growing up in a country where the perception of women and young girls that they're given is simply as sex objects."

Miliband was asked whether he was ready to speak to The Sun's editor and ask him to address the issue.

He replied: "Yes. It's a decision for him, but if you want my opinion, it's an anachronism and it doesn't have a place in the modern world."

Dinsmore has repeatedly stood by Page 3 since he took over as editor of The Sun in June. He said the feature was "one of the pillars of the paper" and that the majority of readers were in favour of keeping it.

However, Sun publisher News UK opted to stop publishing topless pictures on Page 3 of the Irish Sun, citing "cultural differences" in Ireland.