John Lewis has backed Labour MP Samantha Niblett's 'summer of sex' campaign, which aims to end the social stigma surrounding sexual health and pleasure. The South Derbyshire MP confirmed her parliamentary sex toy exhibition will go ahead, with additional support from luxury sexual wellness company Coco de Mer.
Campaign details and launch event
The political and public health drive advocates for comprehensive, lifelong sex education and removing stigma. At a launch event, Ms Niblett said: 'I was a little worried about putting my head above the parapet because actually, who wants to hear their MP talk about sex?' She reportedly wants to be a 'part of the change of the culture' in Westminster. According to The Spectator, John Lewis hosted the event, with partygoers receiving goodie bags containing intimate bodycare products, biscuits, and canned cocktails.
The MP hopes bringing sex toys into parliament will promote open discussion around sexual pleasure and consent. She said: 'Lots of people are turning to pornography for their sex education and they are seeing awful things like strangulation. I just believe it should be ethical and it should show real sex and real people.'
John Lewis's sales and opposition
John Lewis has seen sales of sex toys more than double in a year. The retailer sells Coco de Mer's £145 Pleasure No.6 Intimate Wand vibrator. The store, which holds a royal warrant, introduced sex toys in 2024 after a sharp rise in customer searches. Some customers were stunned to see them advertised in its in-house magazine.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the campaign, calling it a self-absorbed and non-legislative distraction. She wrote on X: 'One of the improvements we're making to our candidate selection process is screening for this tendency. Conservatives are weeding out the self-absorbed who come into politics because they couldn't get into showbiz.' She added that such campaigns waste Parliament's time with trivia.
