Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow forces male MP to say 'tampon' in Commons debate

The MP for Walthamstow was raising the issue of the 5 per cent VAT tax on female sanitary items when she noticed Conservative MP Bill Cash was refraining from referring to them by name instead using the term ‘these products’ .

Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, told Cash she would not let him interject again “unless he uses the term ‘sanitary towels and tampons’ because I think it’s really important in this house that we use the appropriate wording.”

Creasy refused to sit down until Bill Cash, who was supportive of the elimination of the tax, had said the actual name of the sanitary items: 

When Cash next spoke, he said, "With respect to the question about sanitary towels and tampons..." to a huge cheer in the house:

Creasy said later in the fiery debate: “There is common agreement that we wish to resolve this issue and a recognition that in 2015, a tax on women—a femitax, a vagina tax, or whatever we want to call it—is unfair.”

Although the Government eventually voted against the amendment Stella tweeted that she was happy with the progress of the debate.

Ah we managed to get bill cash to say tampon on the record - who says progress isn't possible! #Tampontax

— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) October 26, 2015

Sanitary products are subject to a five per cent ‘luxury’ tax which currently does not apply to Jaffa Cakes, bingo and herbal tea, so campaigners have been fighting to get the EU to re-categorise them as a ‘necessity’.