Theresa May's deputy Damian Green has ducked a call in the House of Commons to apologise on behalf of the government to victims of sexual harassment.
The first secretary of state, who is himself being investigated by the Cabinet Office over claims of inappropriate behaviour, instead said political parties and Commons authorities needed to improve their complaints procedures so young people were not "deterred" from working in parliament.
Meanwhile his spokesperson denied fresh claims from Kate Maltby, the writer and academic who said Green touched her knee, that he had offered her a role within the Conservative party.
Green was standing in for May at Prime Minister's Questions while the PM is on a trip to the Middle East. It was to become an uncomfortable 45 minutes for him, as shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry kicked off with a pointed dig about his situation.
"Can I ask the first secretary a simple point of principle – is he happy to be held to the same standards in government that he required of others while he was in opposition?" she asked.
Green replied: "Yes I am. I think all ministers should respect and obey the ministerial code and I absolutely think that's a very important part of confidence in public life."
Thornberry hit back: "The first secretary looked rather perturbed at my line of questioning but he doesn't need to worry, I really am not going there.
"I merely wondered if he remembered the question he asked at Prime Minister's Questions almost 17 years ago when John Prescott stood in for Tony Blair – and whether he could answer the same question today."
The prime minister ordered an inquiry last month into allegations that Green had made inappropriate advances towards Maltby. The investigation was later widened to cover claims that police had found pornography on a computer in his office.
Later there was a tense silence in the Commons chamber as Labour MP John Mann told Green: "Being believed, reliving trauma, fear of publicity, a culture of denial: some of the reasons why very many women are reluctant to report rape, assault, and sexual harassment.
"Do you agree with me that government and parliament need to lead by example, and will you, on behalf of government, apologise to the victims who parliament and government have been letting down?"
Green replied: "I absolutely agree that both this place as an institution and all of the political parties need to improve complaints procedures and other aspects of the culture of politics to make sure that young men or young women who are interested in politics do not in any way feel deterred from playing an active role in it.
"And there is a place for everyone in this house on all sides and in all parties, and indeed the house authorities themselves, of making sure that this is the best possible working environment for young people to come into."
He did not go as far as May, who said earlier this month: "I'm sorry that we have seen these abuses of power – too many taking place over too many years. And the fact that they have taken place here at our seat of democracy should be a matter of shame for us all."
As he spoke, the Evening Standard reported that Maltby told a friend last year that Green had been "hitting on" her while he offered her a job.
A spokesman for Green told journalists after PMQs: "Mr Green has never made any sexual advances towards Kate Maltby and he never offered her a job or anything similar. The discussions they had were in the context of her asking him for general career advice."
The findings of the inquiry are widely expected to be published within days. The PM's spokesman said: "The whole procedure is ongoing. Once that is concluded, it will report back and the findings will be made public."