The chief executive of Ofcom has acknowledged there are “real issues around misogyny” in public discourse, following the Dan Wootton and Laurence Fox broadcast earlier this week.

Speaking to Sophy Ridge on the Politics Hub, Dame Melanie Dawes was asked about the comments made by Fox on Wootton’s show on Tuesday night. Wootton has been suspended by GB News and sacked by the MailOnline.

Dame Melanie said: “We received a number of complaints and we’re investigating it under our rules for offence, so that’s hot off the press and work continues.”

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She explained that the regulator needs to be measured before investigating – and not “shoot from the hip” but take issues like freedom of expression and the whole of a programme into account.

“I think the public doesn’t want a regulator that just gives a knee-jerk response,” she said.

Speaking about the Wootton and Fox case, where the latter spoke about how he would not want to have sex with a female journalist he disagreed with, Dame Melanie said: “There’s been a real concern, and I don’t want to comment particularly on the show because it is now subject to a live investigation, but I think we know that there are issues around misogyny more widely in our public discourse. “

The dame added that women “are much more likely to get a hard time on social media” than men.

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