Theresa May must get a grip on the sex scandal infesting Westminster — or the Tories will be out

SEX scandals have always infested politics – and every other walk of life where working men and women share a space.

Westminster has its share in all parties, from Liberals such as “Paddy Pantsdown” to Labour’s John Prescott and Tory smoothie Cecil Parkinson.

Even Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher was goosed by a Scottish Tory grandee who fancied his chances.

In the Sixties, sozzled Labour Foreign Secretary George Brown tried to dance with what he believed to be a vision in red. The object of his desire snapped: “First, I don’t dance. Second, I am the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima.”

In those days it was a joke. Today it is political life and death. We are all purse-lipped puritans now.

It began with Harvey Weinstein and his disgusting behaviour with a plant pot — or was it luvvie hero Roman Polanski all those years ago?

Now all men are vile predators by definition, guilty until proven innocent.

“This is international and cross-business,” says Home Secretary Amber Rudd, whose own innocent name was somehow dragged into the so-called “dirty dossier” of errant MPs.

Social media is swift, indiscriminate and instant death. Flimsy allegations are levelled alongside grave charges of criminal misconduct — up to and including rape.

The totally innocent are damned by association. Others pop up as cases of mistaken identity.

But some are distressingly genuine — and deserve prompt and impartial retribution.

As The Sun brilliantly put it, the Defence Secretary has “Fallon his Sword”. TalkRadio’s Julia Hartley-Brewer’s knee was not the first or last he grabbed.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke has been suspended from the Tory party for an unspecified offence now under police investigation.

He is deemed by some to be guilty as sin, even if they don’t know why.

Others may follow. Each sacking puts Theresa May’s wobbly Government in peril.

Jeremy Corbyn is fighting to keep a lid on Labour’s own loudly rattling skeletons — including an alleged rapist, which is worrying in itself.

To their credit, Labour’s women MPs are not letting him get away with it. But nobody is interested in Labour. All eyes are on an embattled Government fighting for its life at one of the most critical moments in British history.

Thanks to what would once have been described as a bit of slap and tickle, Theresa May risks losing her Commons majority and plunging Britain into a catastrophic General Election.

We would swiftly learn to our cost what life was like under Jeremy Corbyn’s authoritarian army of Trots and Marxists.

That surely cannot be right.

The PM is beset on all sides by political danger. She is at war with penniless Chancellor Phil Hammond over his looming Budget shake-up on tax, spending and welfare.

Divisions over Brexit are putting EU negotiations in danger at just the moment they seem to be bearing fruit. And Mrs May’s authority is undermined by ambitious ministers such as Andrea Leadsom blatantly positioning themselves for the leadership race when she eventually goes.

The feverish “Pestminster” claims and counter claims are turbocharging an atmosphere of crisis. It has to stop. Now.

Theresa May has to grasp the nettle personally. She must swiftly establish a clear, independent and respected structure for dealing with allegations of abuse.

Victims have a right to be heard — but it must be in silence. They must feel safe in the knowledge their case will be handled discreetly and fairly.

But the procedure must also protect those who should be innocent until found guilty.

We have learned the hard way how easy it is to point the finger. Police are still reeling over their “scandalous” probe into sex claims against singing legend Cliff Richard — a false rumour costing taxpayers £800,000.

They were forced to apologise for hounding innocent Field Marshal Lord Bramall and ex-Home Secretary Leon Brittan over trumped-up child abuse claims — another £2.5million.

Amber Rudd is drawing up plans for a new system to deal with allegations of workplace abuse.

She should start by disqualifying anyone who names names before at least a preliminary inquiry finds there is a case to answer.