The Garrick Club, a men-only private members club, has become the center of a heated debate in the UK following the resignations of two high-profile members, MI6 chief Richard Moore and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, after their memberships were exposed by The Guardian. The controversy, intensified by Moore's resignation after 'conversations with senior female colleagues', has sparked a broader conversation about gender-based restrictions and the role of single-sex spaces in society. Tory MP Andrea Leadsom expressed indifference, describing herself as 'bemused' by Simon Case's 'sudden wokeness', while Ben Wallace defended the right of such clubs to exist. The situation has led to calls for more public figures to resign their memberships and for judges who are members to recuse themselves from cases involving sex discrimination and sexual violence. The debate has also prompted discussions about the implications for diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly within the intelligence community, with Rishi Sunak's spokesman stating that it's not for the PM to take a view on such individual decisions.
“Clubs are everywhere: from the Bullingdon Club to Boodle’s to the ill-fated Soho House.” 🖊️ Jan Eijking https://t.co/XYCgp0wgpT
BORIS JOHNSON: Is it really so abominable to belong to an all-male club like the Garrick? We've got to stop the madness of trying to bleach out all that's odd and eccentric in society https://t.co/TFnH6Z0iCC https://t.co/3GKPi5yvVw
'Let's all calm down, and stop the madness - the Garrick is a great club and a wonderful British institution, and if people don't like its rules, there are plenty of other clubs they can join' ✍️ Boris Johnson
Garrick revelations strike nerve given MI6 chief’s diversity push https://t.co/sql2PtgaBS
Leading lawyers call on judges to resign from Garrick Club https://t.co/ZdR9Y4MfIp
♂️ What the Left’s hysteria means for the Garrick – and the future of men-only clubs Read more from @edcumming below ⬇️ https://t.co/K3BIUCzHYW
If your intention is to show that a club that excludes women is misogynistic the choice to exclude from your coverage the membership of Stanley Johnson, accused of sexual assault by a number of women, takes some explaining. https://t.co/rdYvHvGgwu
‘I just can’t understand why any bloke in the modern age would want to go to an all-male club.’ ‘If women and gay men can have their own spaces, why can’t men?’ Mike Parry and Albie Amankona clash over whether women should be allowed in men-only clubs. https://t.co/n9R9j085UE
Shining a light on London’s men-only Garrick Club – podcast https://t.co/La7sGoiVs4
Lawyers call on judges in Garrick Club to give up membership https://t.co/5b3eTOdS1F
'You're being very naughty, Rishi.' 'I know I'm being very naughty... but I still find it very Dickensian in the 21st century.' Caller Rishi discusses the need for single-gender clubs, telling @IainDale he believes it's simply 'locker room stuff'. https://t.co/GP9z6B4qUi
"If there were a racial restriction, we would all, as a society, instantly say 'that cannot be allowed.'" @lewis_goodall believes it's 'wrong' for there to be gender-based restrictions after Ben Wallace said that Garrick Club members should be 'left alone'. https://t.co/d4OX4cHfoF
Fascinating piece by Karon Monaghan KC on why judges who are Garrick members should recuse themselves from sitting in cases involving sex discrimination and sexual violence https://t.co/LgymzIMRgQ
Either Mr Moore believes patronising men-only clubs are unacceptable or he doesn’t. What point is he trying to make by resigning only “after intense criticism”? Was he not aware of the nature of his club? Or were men-only clubs acceptable until people found out? https://t.co/3UdrNjfg3a
This is brilliant. The situation is explained in fine detail and clear as day: Judges who belong to the Garrick have a choice: play fair by women, or stand down from rape and sexism cases | Karon Monaghan https://t.co/c5p9QkC8nP
Excellent piece on the problem with judges being members of the male-only Garrick members club - by Karon Monaghan KC @k21fem https://t.co/NlxH2Nc6zB https://t.co/VayvNr0H9B
✍️ Melanie McDonagh: Sir Richard Moore, head of MI6, resigned after his outing in The Guardian was followed by “conversations with senior female colleagues”. I feel a little less safe knowing MI6 is in the hands of this weed Read more: https://t.co/DDQGW7wEPc https://t.co/WxGuNITrNM
Campaigner calls for more public figures to resign Garrick Club membership amid storm over men-only policy https://t.co/bvArj750sP
King Charles Outed as UK Spy Chief Goes Bye Bye The men-only Garrick Club lost MI6 boss Richard Moore and cabinet sec Simon Case after The Guardian blew the lid on the secretive, elite institution. Moore, reportedly, pleaded with his staff to let him remain in the club, but… https://t.co/8aCxa6EFHo
'This epic inequality is so baked into so much of our society.' @mrjamesob notes the Garrick Club is a 'relic of a bygone era', but questions whether its problems are linked 'to history, rather than modernity.' https://t.co/UuMCOuAa5r
Rishi Sunak's spokesman asked whether the PM is okay with Cabinet ministers being members of exclusive male-only clubs, replies that "It's not for the PM to take a view on decisions that individuals take."
‘Is it really shameful to seek out single-sex social space?’ Read @moveincircles on the Garrick Club 👇 https://t.co/7j2439zuDz
Really doesn't fill you with confidence when the head of our secret services gets so panicked by the Guardian revealing that he's (shock horror) a member of the Garrick that he resigns immediately and sends two all-staff emails within 24 hours 🤦♂️ https://t.co/kY456xKkM9
Andrea Leadsom criticises civil service head’s Garrick Club involvement https://t.co/ZQEBhu4NC0
Not surprised to see the Guardian gunning hard for the Garrick, one of the last holdouts against compulsory unisex sociality I wrote a chapter in Feminism Against Progress about why we should defend it, and every other single-sex social space https://t.co/OXwgS2f2qH
'If men want to get together in a club, it's up to them': Ben Wallace says all-male Garrick Club members should be 'left alone' https://t.co/BOC3JEqzSq
'Why can't we just leave each other alone?' 'There's plenty of all-female clubs as well.' @BWallaceMP tells @NickFerrariLBC he's not part of the Garrick Club and says plainly - 'It's none of my business, I won't lose sleep over it and we should just let them get on with it.' https://t.co/ZspVHGPRoo
“I'm certainly not interested in men's decisions to feel good about themselves.” @AndreaLeadsom tells #TimesRadio she’s “bemused” at Simon Case’s “sudden wokeness” after the cabinet secretary resigned from the men-only Garrick Club. @StigAbell | @AasmahMir https://t.co/3A7cMxTHl3
“I'm certainly not interested in men's decisions to feel good about themselves.” @AndreaLeadsom tells #TimesRadio she’s “bemused” at Simon Case’s “sudden wokeness” after the cabinet secretary resigned from the Garrick Club for remaining men only. @StigAbell | @AasmahMir https://t.co/HDDFHGJPHb
‘Do I actually have to have a view on this? It is so beyond pathetic.’ Tory MP Andrea Leadsom tells @NickFerrariLBC that frankly she ‘doesn’t care’ if Cabinet ministers remain members of the male-only Garrick Club. https://t.co/oP4R3F1nk6
‘Do I actually have to have a view on this? It is so beyond pathetic.’ Tory MP Andrea Leadsom tells @NickFerrariLBC that frankly she ‘doesn’t care’ if Cabinet ministers remain members of the male-only Garrick club. https://t.co/i9OhOQH9Db
On the Garrick Club, Andrea Leadsom tells @TimesRadio she was "slightly bemused that Simon Case has only just discovered that it only takes men"
Beyond parody that the @guardian has shamed high-profile men into resigning from the Garrick all-male private members club given that Guardian female staff have quit the paper over its abject failure to defend women’s rights against the trans lobby. Grow a pair, chaps!
“The resignations of two of Britain’s most senior Whitehall figures from the men-only Garrick will prompt difficult questions for dozens of other powerful individuals from the UK’s male-dominated establishment who remain members.” https://t.co/mtY0scmuDr