Editing Rod Liddle (section)

==Later print journalism==

===Allegations of misogyny and racism===
In August 2009, in his ''Spectator'' blog he wrote about [[Harriet Harman]], deputy leader of the Labour Party, in unflattering terms. Liddle began the article by asking: "So — Harriet Harman, then. Would you? I mean after a few beers obviously, not while you were sober."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Liddle|first1=Rod|title=Harriet Harman is either thick or criminally disingenuous|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/5244693/harriet-harman-is-either-thick-or-criminally-disingenuous.thtml|url-status=dead|access-date=4 April 2016|work=The Spectator|date=8 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091204030420/http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/5244693/harriet-harman-is-either-thick-or-criminally-disingenuous.thtml|archive-date=4 December 2009|via=the Wayback Machine}}</ref> [[Tanya Gold]] wrote in ''The Guardian'' that Liddle had delivered a "tissue-thin polemic." Pointing out that it was ''The Spectator''{{'}}s cover story that week, Gold wondered if, after 100 years of striving to improve women's rights, whether "we're back in the schoolyard – or is it the brothel?"<ref>Tanya Gold [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/aug/08/harriet-harman-rod-liddle-spectator "Swoop, apply lipstick, swoop again"], ''The Guardian'', 8 August 2009</ref> [[Rachel Cooke]] in ''[[The Observer]]'' nearly two months later recalled finding Liddle's piece "so disgusting I flushed violently all the way from my breastbone to my forehead when I first read it. I looked like I had German measles."<ref>Rachel Cooke [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/sep/27/harrietharman "Harriet Harman: 'Nobody believes me, but I am not ambitious'"], ''The Observer'', 27 September 2009</ref> Cooke went on to say: "I would still like to do something really unpleasant to the man who wrote [the article]."

Liddle said two months later that the Harman column "was supposed to be a parody of guttural, base sexism", a joke he assumed readers would understand. After the negative response from Gold (and then Cooke, among other female journalists) he continued: "And then I suppose I came to the conclusion – gradually – that I must have got it wrong."<ref name="Groskop">Viv Groskop [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23751584-rod-liddle-maybe-i-was-wrong-to-say-i-wouldnt-sleep-with-harriet-harman.do "Rod Liddle: Maybe I was wrong to say I wouldn't sleep with Harriet Harman"], ''Evening Standard'' (This is London website), 2 October 2009</ref> In June 2014, he said that of those he had offended, Harman was the one person to whom he would apologise.<ref name="Hattenstone">Simon Hattenstone [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jun/13/rod-liddle-im-not-a-bigot "Rod Liddle interview: 'I'm not a bigot'"], ''The Guardian'', 13 June 2014</ref>

In November 2009, again for ''The Spectator'' website, he offered "a quick update on what the Muslim savages are up to," a brief article about the stoning to death of a 20-year-old woman in Somalia after she was accused of adultery, and the similar death of a 13-year-old the year before. He made remarks, considered sarcastic, that read: "Incidentally, many Somalis have come to Britain as immigrants recently, where they are widely admired for their strong work ethic, respect for the law and keen, piercing, intelligence."<ref>Hughes, Mark. [https://archive.today/20120802164049/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/article1835496.ece "Liddle under fire over 'racist' blog"], ''The Independent'', 7 December 2009</ref><ref>Liddle, Rod. [http://www.spectator.co.uk/rodliddle/5552353/muslim-savages-update.thtml "Muslim savages update"], ''The Spectator'', 19 November 2009</ref>

In December 2009, on his ''Spectator'' blog, Liddle referred to two black music producers, Brandon Jolie and Kingsley Ogundele, who had plotted to kill Jolie's 15-year-old pregnant girlfriend, as "human filth" and said the incident was not an anomaly. He continued:
<blockquote>
The overwhelming majority of street crime, knife crime, gun crime, robbery and crimes of sexual violence in London is carried out by young men from the [[British African-Caribbean community|African-Caribbean community]]. Of course, in return, we have rap music, goat curry and a far more vibrant and diverse understanding of cultures which were once alien to us. For which, many thanks.<ref>{{cite news|last=Liddle|first=Rod|url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2009/12/benefits-of-a-multicultural-britain/|title=Benefits of a multi-cultural Britain|work=The Spectator|date=5 December 2009|access-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202130334/https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2009/12/benefits-of-a-multicultural-britain/|archive-date=2016-12-02}}
* For a report of the incident, see: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8395601.stm "Music pair jailed over death plot"], BBC News, 4 December 2009.</ref>
</blockquote>
When he was accused of racism, Liddle said he was instead engaging in a debate about [[multiculturalism]].<ref>Irvine, Chris. [https://web.archive.org/web/20091210212653/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6749156/Rod-Liddle-accused-of-racism-for-blog.html "Rod Liddle accused of racism for blog"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 7 December 2009</ref><ref>West, Ed. [https://web.archive.org/web/20091210212256/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100019154/by-talking-frankly-about-black-crime-rod-liddle-is-combatting-racism-not-causing-it/ By talking frankly about black crime, Rod Liddle is combatting racism, not causing it], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 7 December 2009</ref> In March 2010 the [[Press Complaints Commission]] (PCC) upheld a complaint against Liddle, who became the first journalist to be censured over the contents of a blog, because he had not been able to prove his claim about the crime statistics.<ref>Plunkett, John. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/29/rod-liddle-pcc-spectator "Rod Liddle censured by the PCC"], ''The Guardian'', 29 March 2010</ref> After the publication of London crime figures in June 2010, ''The Sunday Telegraph'' suggested Liddle was largely right on some of his claims, but that he was probably wrong on his claims about knife crimes and violent sex crimes.<ref name=Alderson>Alderson, Andrew. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7856787/Violent-inner-city-crime-the-figures-and-a-question-of-race.html "Violent inner-city crime, the figures, and a question of race"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 26 June 2010</ref>

In October 2010, Liddle called for the abolition of the [[Welsh language]] TV channel [[S4C]] as a result of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review. In his article for ''The Spectator'', he described Welsh nationalists as "miserable, seaweed munching, sheep-bothering pinch-faced hill-tribes".<ref>Liddle, Rod. [http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/rod-liddle/2010/10/sosban-fach-yn-berwi-ana-tan/ "Sosban fach yn berwi ana tan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928194935/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/rod-liddle/2010/10/sosban-fach-yn-berwi-ana-tan/ |date=28 September 2015 }}, ''The Spectator'', 20 October 2010</ref>

Giving a speech at [[Durham University]] in December 2021, Liddle said: "It is fairly easily proven that colonialism is not remotely the major cause of Africa's problems, just as it is very easy to prove that the educational underachievement of British people of Caribbean descent or African Americans is nothing to do with institutional or structural racism."<ref name="The_Northern_Echo-2021-12-06">{{Cite news |title=Durham Uni investigating after students walked out of 'transphobic and racist' speech |last=Priestley |first=Catherine |newspaper=[[The Northern Echo]] |date=2021-12-06 |access-date=2021-12-07 |url= https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19765550.durham-university-investigating-rod-liddle-speech-outrage/}}</ref>

===''Independent'' editor rumour and Millwall supporters' website===
''The Guardian'' reported on 8 January 2010 that the expected purchase of ''The Independent'' by [[Alexander Lebedev]], a Russian billionaire, would be followed by the appointment of Liddle as editor.<ref>Sweney, Mark and Brook, Stephen. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jan/08/rod-liddle-edit-independent "Rod Liddle lined up to edit Independent"], ''The Guardian'', 8 January 2010.</ref> [[Roy Greenslade]] wrote on 11 January that the reports were provoking a "major internal and external revolt" by ''The Independent'''s staff and readers.<ref>Greenslade, Roy. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2010/jan/11/theindependent-simon-kelner "Independent faces revolt from staff and readers if Liddle becomes editor"], ''The Guardian'', 11 January 2010</ref> The stories about Liddle's posts on Millwall Online apparently further reduced the likelihood of his being offered the job.<ref name=Robinson/> Finally, on 19 February, Stephen Brook of ''The Guardian'' reported that Liddle was no longer in the running for the post.<ref>Brook, Stephen. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2010/feb/19/rod-liddle-independent "Rod Liddle no longer in running for Independent editor"], ''The Guardian'', 19 February 2010</ref> [[Tim Luckhurst]], professor of journalism at the [[University of Kent]], argued that Liddle's prospects of editing ''The Independent'' were nullified "by the people behind a viciously intolerant campaign of liberal bigotry".<ref>Tim Luckhurst [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/feb/19/rod-liddle-independent-editor "How the 'liberal' mob did Rod Liddle in"], ''The Guardian'', 19 February 2012</ref>

In January 2010, the press drew attention to allegedly racist and misogynist comments posted under the username "monkeymfc"—a name Liddle has used—on Millwall Online, a fan club web forum with no official connection to [[Millwall Football Club]]. Liddle attributed some of the comments to opposition fans logging in under his name to embarrass him. He later said he had written some of the posts that were being criticised, including one in support of the BNP excluding Black and Asian people from the party.<ref>Preston, Peter. [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jan/17/rod-liddle-alexander-lebedev-independent "Liddle plus Lebedev hardly adds up to Independent thinking"], ''The Observer'', 17 January 2010.</ref> Another post, in which he joked about not being able to smoke at [[Auschwitz]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenslade|first=Roy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2010/jan/18/rod-liddle-theindependent|title=Mystery of racist postings made under Rod Liddle's website username|work=The Guardian|date=18 January 2010|access-date=19 May 2016}}</ref> led to his being asked to explain what he meant in ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]''.<ref name=Robinson>James Robinson [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jan/22/rod-liddle-quip-auschwitz-millwall "Rod Liddle defends quip about Auschwitz on Millwall fans' forum"], ''The Guardian'', 22 January 2010</ref> While he said in June 2014 that his comments were taken out of context, he said that he did not regret making them. "No. Never. Absolutely not. I thought about my mates at Millwall Online, God I respect them so much more than these other people, these ghastly fucking people."<ref name="Hattenstone"/>

===Stephen Lawrence, Lee Rigby, disabled and transgender people===
In November 2011, an article by Liddle for ''The Spectator'' suggested the trial of two men accused (and later convicted) of murdering [[Stephen Lawrence]] would not be fair.<ref>Dominic Ponsford [http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/the-rod-liddle-article-which-threatened-stephen-lawrence-trial-as-it-had-barely-begun-51305/ "The Rod Liddle article which threatened Stephen Lawrence trial as it had barely begun"], ''Press Gazette'' (blog), 4 January 2012</ref> It was referred to the Attorney General [[Dominic Grieve]] by the judge for possible contempt of court,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15778337 "Spectator referred for 'contempt'"], BBC News, 17 November 2011</ref> and he ordered the jurors not to read it. Having decided that it might have breached a court order, Grieve passed the case on to the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] and the Director of Public Prosecutions.<ref>Jason Deans [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/nov/29/spectator-stephen-lawrence-trial "Spectator article on Stephen Lawrence trial referred to DPP"], ''The Guardian'', 29 November 2011</ref> The decision that ''The Spectator'' was to be prosecuted by the CPS for breaching reporting restrictions was announced on 9 May 2012, with a court hearing scheduled for 7 June, although Liddle as the author was not himself liable for prosecution. [[Fraser Nelson]], the magazine's editor, announced that the prosecution would not be contested,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18005905 "Spectator charged over Stephen Lawrence article"], BBC News, 9 May 2012</ref> and the magazine pleaded guilty at the hearing. The fine was £3,000, plus £2,000 compensation to Stephen Lawrence's parents and £625 costs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Halliday|first=Josh|title=Spectator to pay out £5,625 over Rod Liddle's Stephen Lawrence article|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/07/spectator-rod-liddle-stephen-lawrence|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 June 2012|location=London|date=7 June 2012}}</ref>

In January 2012, Liddle wrote that many people in the UK were "pretending to be disabled" in his column for ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'',<ref>'Monkey' [https://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2012/jan/26/rod-liddle-sun-column-disabled?newsfeed=true "A Liddle more controversy as Rod's Sun column angers the disabled"], ''The Guardian'' (Media Monkey blog), 26 January 2012</ref> an opinion defended by [[James Delingpole]] who thought "Rod's point is well made".<ref>James Delingpole [https://web.archive.org/web/20120128091844/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100132880/the-fake-disabled-are-crippling-our-economy/ "The fake disabled are crippling our economy"], ''Telegraph'' (blog), 26 January 2012</ref> Frances Ryan in ''The Guardian'' accused him of "belittling something that on a daily basis affects real people" who can be "a huge benefit to society. Maybe for a month Liddle would like to try that."<ref>Frances Ryan [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/30/rod-liddle-attack-disability "Rod Liddle's attack on disability cannot be ignored"], theguardian.com (blog), 30 January 2012</ref>

On 23 May 2013, Liddle wrote about the murder of soldier [[Lee Rigby]] near the [[Royal Artillery Barracks]] in Woolwich, London. In the original version of a blog article for ''The Spectator'', he referred to the perpetrators as "two black savages".<ref name="LiddleSavage">The revised version refers to "two savages". See Rod Liddle [http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/rod-liddle/2013/05/terrorist-attack-or-not/ "The words ‘terrorist attack’ only dignify the barbarism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609111649/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/rod-liddle/2013/05/terrorist-attack-or-not/ |date=9 June 2013 }}, ''The Spectator'' (blog), 23 May 2013</ref> After many objections to his language use,<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/28/rod-liddle-two-black-savages-spectator-blog_n_3346505.html "Rod Liddle's 'Two Black Savages' Spectator Blog Draws Accusations Of Racism"], ''The Huffington Post'', 28 May 2013</ref>  this phrase was modified.<ref>Musa Okwonga [https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/rod-liddle-black-savages-and-louise-mensch-8639277.html "Rod Liddle, 'black savages', and Louise Mensch"], ''The Independent'', 31 May 2013</ref> Liddle apologised.<ref name="LiddleSavage"/><ref>William Turvill [http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/content/spectators-rod-liddle-apologises-describing-woolwich-attackers-black-savages "Spectator's Rod Liddle apologises for describing Woolwich attackers as 'black savages'"], ''Press Gazette'', 28 May 2013</ref>

In May 2015, the [[Independent Press Standards Organisation]] (IPSO) upheld a complaint from [[Trans Media Watch]] that Liddle had been discriminatory towards [[Emily Brothers]], a blind and [[transgender]] Labour candidate at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], in two ''Sun'' columns published in December 2014 and January 2015. In commenting in the way he had Liddle had breached two sections of the editors' code.<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenslade|first=Roy|title=''The Sun'' censured by Ipso for Rod Liddle's discriminatory columns|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/may/28/the-sun-censured-by-ipso-for-rod-liddles-discriminatory-columns|access-date=28 May 2015|work=The Guardian|date=28 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ponsford|first=Dominic|title=''Sun'' censured by IPSO over Rod Liddle column joke about blind and transgender MP|url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/sun-censured-ipso-over-rod-liddle-column-joke-about-blind-and-transgender-mp|access-date=28 May 2015|work=Press Gazette|date=28 May 2015}}</ref>

===BBC coverage of the death of Nelson Mandela===
In December 2013 in a blog article for ''[[The Spectator]]'' website published shortly after [[Nelson Mandela]] died, Liddle wrote that the BBC coverage on his death was excessive.<ref name="Liddle051213">Rod Liddle [http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/rod-liddle/2013/12/nelson-mandela-dies-aged-95-the-bbc-goes-into-overdrive/ "Nelson Mandela dies, aged 95"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208043311/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/rod-liddle/2013/12/nelson-mandela-dies-aged-95-the-bbc-goes-into-overdrive/ |date=8 December 2013 }}, ''The Spectator'' (blog), 5 December 2013</ref><ref name="Plunkett">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/06/rod-liddle-bbc-nelson-mandela-spectator|title=Rod Liddle criticises BBC for too much coverage of Nelson Mandela death|last=Plunkett|first=John|work=The Guardian|date=6 December 2013|access-date=6 December 2013}}</ref> Richard Garside, director of the [[Centre for Crime and Justice Studies]], tweeted a "Rod Liddle decision tree" which described Liddle as a "wind-up merchant".<ref name="Plunkett"/><ref>Tomas Javinda [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/rod-liddle-criticised-for-describing-death-of-nelson-mandela-as-famous-nice-black-man-dies-8988549.html "Rod Liddle criticised for describing death of Nelson Mandela as ‘famous nice black man dies’"], ''The Independent'', 6 December 2013</ref>

===Column on poppers and gay sex===
During a [[parliamentary debate]] on the Psychoactive Substances Bill – which "makes it an offence to produce, supply, offer to supply, possess with intent to supply, possess on custodial premises, import or export [[psychoactive substances]]"<ref>{{cite news|title=Psychoactive Substances Act 2016|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/psychoactive-substances-bill-2015|access-date=3 April 2016|work=[[Gov.uk]]|agency=Home Office|date=29 May 2015}}</ref> the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician [[Crispin Blunt]] admitted he used [[poppers]]:

<blockquote>And would be directly affected by this legislation. And I was astonished to find that it's proposed they be banned and, frankly, so were very many gay men.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Perraudin|first1=Frances|title=Tory MP Crispin Blunt: 'I out myself as poppers user'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/20/tory-mp-crispin-blunt-poppers-drug-policy|access-date=3 April 2016|work=The Guardian|date=20 January 2016}}</ref></blockquote>

Liddle responded in his ''Spectator'' blog: <blockquote>So, Crispin Blunt MP feels hurt because laws proscribing {{sic|amyl nitrate}}<!-- Should be "nitrite", not "nitrate". --> (or 'poppers') would criminalise the entire gay community. ... I would have thought that the requirement for amyl nitrate to relax the sphincter muscle and lube to accommodate entry was God's way of telling you that what you're about to do is unnatural and perverse. Or your body's way of telling you – your call. So eeeeuw. ... Crispin and others can always use a [[jemmy]] [crowbar] instead.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Liddle|first1=Rod|title=Did we really have to hear all about Crispin Blunt's sex life?|url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/did-we-really-have-to-hear-all-about-crispin-blunts-sex-life/|access-date=3 April 2016|work=The Spectator|date=25 January 2016|archive-date=30 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330205758/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/did-we-really-have-to-hear-all-about-crispin-blunts-sex-life/|url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>

The [[satirical]] and [[current affairs (news format)|current affairs]] [[Humor magazine|magazine]] ''[[Private Eye]]'' described this as hypocritical, pointing out Liddle's account in ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' of using [[Viagra]] in July 2004 in which he wrote that it was: "The weirdest drug I ever took, far more psychologically disturbing than LSD. For the next six hours, I had this implacable, disembodied, unconscionably rigid appendage dragging me hither and thither".<ref>{{cite news|title=Private Eye|url=http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CaS4nkpWwAAL-4Y.jpg|access-date=3 April 2016|issue=1411|date=5 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Liddle|first=Rod|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/asia-travel/china/love-rat-you-cant-mean-me-m5krch766fp|title=Love rat? You can't mean me|date=17 July 2004|access-date=29 September 2016}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

A spokesperson from the [[LGBT rights]] charity ''[[Stonewall (charity)|Stonewall]]'' said of Liddle's remarks: "Comments like this are shocking and damaging, but we wouldn't expect anything less from repeat offending bigots like Rod Liddle. The Government's move for an immediate review of whether poppers are harmful is right, but banning them ... will cause confusion and drive gay and bi men who use poppers to seek out illegal drug suppliers from April onwards, putting their health at serious risk."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ridley|first1=Louise|title=Rod Liddle Slammed As 'Repeat Offending Bigot' For Column On Poppers And Gay Sex|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/01/25/rod-liddle-spectator-poppers_n_9071604.html|access-date=3 April 2016|work=The Huffington Post|date=25 January 2016}}</ref>

===Unfair treatment by ''Newsnight''===
Liddle appeared on the BBC's ''[[Newsnight]]'' hosted by [[Emily Maitlis]] to discuss [[Brexit]] on 15 July 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM4HN7TeDvA|title=Brexit: Rod Liddle and People's Vote's Tom Baldwin on 'betrayal' |work=BBC Newsnight|date=16 July 2019 |access-date=4 November 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> In the episode, Maitlis said Liddle wrote columns containing "consistent casual racism week after week" and asked Liddle if he would describe himself as a racist. After the episode was broadcast, a complainant alleged that Maitlis was "sneering and bullying" towards Liddle. An investigation by the BBC upheld these complaints, saying that Maitlis was "persistent and personal" in her criticism of Liddle thus "leaving her open to the charge that she had failed to be even-handed" in the discussion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/bbc-upholds-complaint-against-emily-maitlis-over-sneering-newsnight-discussion-with-rod-liddle/|title=BBC upholds complaint against Emily Maitlis over 'sneering' Newsnight discussion with Rod Liddle|author=Charlotte Tobitt|date=24 September 2019|website=Press Gazette|access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/sites/default/files/2020-01/Bulletin%20April%20-%20September%2019.pdf|title=Analysis of complaints|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref>

===Column on Muslim voters===
In October 2019, Liddle penned a column in ''The Spectator'' commenting on the forthcoming [[2019 United Kingdom general election|December 2019 UK general election]], which suggested that the election should be held on a Muslim holy day to reduce the Labour vote.
The column was criticised by senior political figures including Chancellor of the Exchequer [[Sajid Javid]] and former Conservative [[Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Deputy Prime Minister]] [[David Lidington]].  Liddle defended the content as being humorous.  The article  also criticised the Labour MP [[Rosie Duffield]]'s recent speech about her experience of trying to exit an abusive relationship; Duffield described the article as "racist and misogynistic".<ref>{{cite news|author=Aubrey Allegretti|title=Rod Liddle's Spectator article calling for general election on Muslim holy day 'unacceptable'|date=1 November 2019|access-date=2 November 2019|work=Sky News|url=https://news.sky.com/story/rod-liddles-spectator-article-on-muslims-voting-attacked-by-sajid-javid-11851238}}</ref>