Arlene Foster made the claims in an interview in which she said the calls were personal and some of them were because she is female, a viewpoint Mrs Long described as “surprising”.
“I’m surprised the First Minister sees this as misogynistic, when instead it is about being held to account in the same manner as any other public representative. Indeed, her male predecessor was also held to account in the same way in a previous scandal of much lesser financial importance.
“It is particularly galling, given the DUP’s track record in promoting women within their ranks. The First Minister is a notable exception, even though she joined the DUP at a time when members of the party deemed it acceptable to moo at the Women’s Coalition and other female elected representatives in debates.
“Of course there is misogyny and sexism in politics but it does a great disservice to those experiencing them to misrepresent being held accountable for your actions as either of those things.”