Meanings
- UKinformalA scandal involving sexual harassment by members of the British parliament.
It’s shocking that two years after the ‘Pestminster’ scandal, female MPs are fleeing politics.
2019 31 October, Catherine Mayer, “It’s shocking that two years after the ‘Pestminster’ scandal, female MPs are fleeing politics”, in The Telegraph2 more examples
Those following what has been dubbed “Pestminster” may nevertheless struggle to keep up with the Byzantine internal reporting structures, the range of accusations being levied and the sheer number of MPs involved.
2017 3 November, Julia Rampen, “A week in Pestminster”, in New StatesmanActivists turned Westminster into “Pestminster” today to highlight a perceived lack of action over Parliament’s sexual harassment scandal.
2018 26 October, Kate Proctor, Ella Wills, “The next station is now Pestminster”, in Evening Standard
Origin
Blend of pest + Westminster.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Pestminster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pestminster
“Pestminster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pestminster. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pestminster,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pestminster.
Source: Pestminster on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.