POLITICAL opponents of Mark Garnier have launched scathing attacks on the Wyre Forest MP following the ‘sex toy’ revelations.

There have been calls for him to step down as both an MP and from his role as International Trade Minister while others have questioned his attitude towards women and constituents in the district.

Damaging claims made by Mr Garnier’s former PA Caroline Edmundson emerged in the Mail on Sunday in which she said he had given her money to buy the items from a sex shop in Soho and referred to her as “sugar t**s” in a bar.

Both incidents happened in 2010 shortly before Ms Edmundson stopped working for him.

Mr Garnier admitted both incidents but denied they constituted sexual harassment, saying the vibrators were bought in ‘high jinks’ while the remark was made as part of a chat about TV comedy Gavin and Stacey. He is now facing a Cabinet Office investigation into whether he broke the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

But former Kidderminster Mayor John Aston, who was a member of the Conservative Party before becoming Independent in 2013 and who was part of the campaign team that helped Mr Garnier first get elected in 2010, described his behaviour as “disgraceful”.

Councillor Aston said: “I think he should step down as both Wyre Forest MP and International Trade Minister.

“His behaviour has dragged his constituency down and I feel he has let down all the people of Wyre Forest, especially those who have supported him for so many years. I was part of the campaign team that helped him get elected in 2010.

“He has conducted himself in a very bad way and if he doesn’t resign then his position needs to be reviewed by the Government.”

Stephen Brown, of Wyre Forest Labour group, said: “Many women in Wyre Forest will be deeply offended by the inappropriate language and behaviour of their MP.

“It demonstrates not only his appalling views towards women, but an alarming lack of awareness on gender equality issues that raises wider questions about his abilities and judgement as an MP.

“He has voted against equal marriage but just as importantly politically, socially, and economically - he has voted for every measure of austerity and which by design has a disproportionally higher negative impact on women compared to men.

“That it takes a national newspaper sex toy scandal to highlight to his constituents his dinosaur attitude towards women, should not be allowed to detract from his failure to represent his constituents in a fair and equal manner.

“If he manages to hang on to his seat following this latest revelation, and we have previously called for his resignation on other issues, let’s hope people now start to scrutinise what he says and does locally far more robustly and hold him to account.”