'The dam has broken': Ruth Davidson warns that Westminster locker room culture 'has got to stop'

The Scottish Conservative leader has spoken out about the latest revelations regarding the Westminster sex scandal that overnight cost the job of the defence secretary.

Speaking to the BBC just hours after the shock resignation of Sir Michael Fallon on 1 November, Ruth Davidson MSP urged Theresa May to "clean out the stables" after a string of claims and counter-claims rocked Westminster this week.

Fallon stood down as secretary of state for defence, saying his conduct had "fallen short" of the required standards after allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Davidson, who is one of the most popular Conservatives in the UK, warned that "when you put people in a position where they can't speak out... then we fail, we absolutely fail as leaders."

Davidson, who spent three years in the UK territorial army, a branch that fell under the purview of the defence secretary's office, said that the "dam has broken on this now and these male dominated professions, overwhelmingly male dominated professions where the boys locker room culture has prevailed and has been a bit of a laugh has got to stop."

MPs have sworn to act, with the topic one of the main areas of discussion in Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions.

Theresa May revealed that she had invited other party leaders to a meeting early next week to discuss new transparent system for complaints about harassment in Westminster.

In the interview on Thursday morning (2 November), Davidson added: "It isn't actually about sex. It's about power. It's always about power. And we as elected representatives have to hold ourselves to a higher standard.

"We're in positions of power so we can make things better for who comes after, not so that we can exert that power in a nefarious way."

On Tuesday (31 October), the Labour party confirmed that they had launched an investigation after activist Bex Bailey, 25, claimed that she was discouraged by an official within the party from reporting an alleged rape that occurred during a Labour event in 2011.

Fresh allegations swirled around May's deputy, Damian Green, who was accused of sending "suggestive" messages to writer Kate Maltby.