The comments come after openly-gay MP Eagle claimed the incident
was symbolic of a darker side to the Coalition leader, who hosted
Downing Street's first-ever gay reception last summer.
During Prime Minister's Questions last week, Cameron used the
phrase "calm down, dear" - made infamous by Michael Winner in the
well-known TV advertisement for car insurance - when adressing
Eagle.
Shortly after, the MP for Wallasey and Liscard claimed the
incident was proof of sexism. She told DIVA that the comments
"reveal something about his character."
She also implied that he is a bully.
But now Cameron has hit back saying the party is humourless and
simply vilifying him for vilification's sake. Speaking to an
audience of Conservative activists in North Wales, he joked: "Don't
worry, I'm not going to tell you to calm down."
To laughter, he continued: "I don't know what it is about some
people on the left. It seems that when they put the socialism in,
they take the sense of humour out."
The sentiments have been echoed by Mike Freer, an LGBTory patron
and MP for Finchley and Golders Green, who thinks the Labour
party's response is both Tory-phobic and a political tactic.
"The Labour party are trying to make this something it's not,"
he told DIVA. "I was in the chamber at the time and it was clearly
humourous use of a popular TV catchphrase.
"Quite frankly, the are more pressing issues facing the
country."
Eagle made history in 1997 when she became the first lesbian MP
to come out in an interview with The Observer. She did it again in
September of 2008, when she became the first female MP to enter in
to a civil partnership with her partner Maria.
Now, Margot James has matched her - being the Conservative
party's only openly-lesbian MP.
DIVA contacted James for a quote, but she was unavailable for
comment.
