Edwina Currie, a former Conservative minister, has said that making a pass at someone can’t be “banned” from the workplace, amid a growing sexual harassment scandal at Westminster.

The former minister described the allegations involved in the scandal as “trivial”, suggesting they could be the result of “misunderstanding”.

“The workplace these days is where people meet, where many romances and liaisons develop. You can’t ban it for the workplace.

“Someone making a pass at you is not necessarily a power play. It might just be that they like you, and they would like to know if you would like to have a meal with them, they would like to know if you might be open to something more.

“It happened to me and it was very, very welcome”

Mrs Currie had an affair with the former prime minister, John Major, in the Eighties while they were both MPs and married to other partners.