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| Leadsom pledges support team for victims of sexual harassment in parliament | Leadsom pledges support team for victims of sexual harassment in parliament |
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| Andrea Leadsom has promised MPs that she will establish a dedicated support team in parliament to enable staff and researchers to report incidents of sexual harassment. | Andrea Leadsom has promised MPs that she will establish a dedicated support team in parliament to enable staff and researchers to report incidents of sexual harassment. |
| The leader of the House of Commons said the team would refer complaints where appropriate to the police, in response to an urgent question from the Labour MP Harriet Harman about a series of allegations that have emerged in recent days. | The leader of the House of Commons said the team would refer complaints where appropriate to the police, in response to an urgent question from the Labour MP Harriet Harman about a series of allegations that have emerged in recent days. |
| “No woman – or man for that matter – coming to work in this house should be subjected to unwanted sexual advances from those who are in a position of power over them. | “No woman – or man for that matter – coming to work in this house should be subjected to unwanted sexual advances from those who are in a position of power over them. |
| “No one should have to work in a toxic atmosphere of sleazy, sexist or homophobic banter. No MP, let alone a minister, should think it is something to make jokes about,” Harman said. | “No one should have to work in a toxic atmosphere of sleazy, sexist or homophobic banter. No MP, let alone a minister, should think it is something to make jokes about,” Harman said. |
| Leadsom was accompanied by Theresa May, sitting on the front bench during the debate. | |
| The urgent question came after it had emerged over the weekend that trade minister Mark Garnier admitted encouraging an assistant to buy sex toys, and the former work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb confessed to engaging in “sexual chatter” with a 19-year-old who had applied for a job in his office. | The urgent question came after it had emerged over the weekend that trade minister Mark Garnier admitted encouraging an assistant to buy sex toys, and the former work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb confessed to engaging in “sexual chatter” with a 19-year-old who had applied for a job in his office. |
| Leadsom said an independent helpline that already exists would be given more resources, would help victims to report their experiences and would provide pastoral care. | |
| “It is absolutely right that the house must address the urgent issue of alleged mistreatment of staff by members of parliament. These allegations make clear that there is a vital need to provide better support and protection for the thousands of staff working in Westminster and in constituency offices across the country,” she said. | “It is absolutely right that the house must address the urgent issue of alleged mistreatment of staff by members of parliament. These allegations make clear that there is a vital need to provide better support and protection for the thousands of staff working in Westminster and in constituency offices across the country,” she said. |
| Leadsom said the new policies should apply to interns and civil servants as well as MPs’ staff – and made clear that sanctions could include ministers losing their jobs, or MPs losing their party whip. | Leadsom said the new policies should apply to interns and civil servants as well as MPs’ staff – and made clear that sanctions could include ministers losing their jobs, or MPs losing their party whip. |
| “If someone is made to feel uncomfortable, or believes that others have acted inappropriately towards them, they should be able to contact an external, independent support team,” she said. | “If someone is made to feel uncomfortable, or believes that others have acted inappropriately towards them, they should be able to contact an external, independent support team,” she said. |
| “Everyone in this house must be clear that whenever a serious allegation is made, the individual should go to the police, and be supported in doing so.” | “Everyone in this house must be clear that whenever a serious allegation is made, the individual should go to the police, and be supported in doing so.” |
| “Your age, gender or job title should have no bearing on the way you are treated in a modern workforce, and no one should be an exception to that.” | “Your age, gender or job title should have no bearing on the way you are treated in a modern workforce, and no one should be an exception to that.” |
| Before Leadsom spoke, the Speaker, John Bercow, put the onus on May and the other party leaders, rather than House of Commons authorities, to crack down on sexual harassment. | |
| The prime minister wrote to Bercow on Sunday urging him to coordinate efforts to introduce a contractually binding grievance procedure to cover MPs’ staff. But the Speaker said it was up to political parties to make changes. | The prime minister wrote to Bercow on Sunday urging him to coordinate efforts to introduce a contractually binding grievance procedure to cover MPs’ staff. But the Speaker said it was up to political parties to make changes. |
| “The prime minister’s letter to me, written as leader of the Conservative party, very candidly admits the difficulties the Conservative party has had in introducing the sort of mandatory grievance scheme which some other parties have introduced in recent years. It does not require my intervention for the party to adopt an effective grievance scheme.” | “The prime minister’s letter to me, written as leader of the Conservative party, very candidly admits the difficulties the Conservative party has had in introducing the sort of mandatory grievance scheme which some other parties have introduced in recent years. It does not require my intervention for the party to adopt an effective grievance scheme.” |
| Earlier, a report in the London Evening Standard, edited by the former chancellor George Osborne, claimed that David Cameron had tried to introduce such a scheme, but the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs had blocked it. | |
| Like Leadsom, Bercow said the police should be involved where an allegation of assault has been made. “Let me make it clear: there must be zero tolerance of sexual harassment or bullying, here at Westminster or elsewhere.” | Like Leadsom, Bercow said the police should be involved where an allegation of assault has been made. “Let me make it clear: there must be zero tolerance of sexual harassment or bullying, here at Westminster or elsewhere.” |
| Earlier, May’s official spokesman had said she was “deeply concerned” by allegations of sexual misconduct. The spokesman pointedly declined to confirm that May had full confidence in Garnier, who is the subject of an internal government inquiry. | Earlier, May’s official spokesman had said she was “deeply concerned” by allegations of sexual misconduct. The spokesman pointedly declined to confirm that May had full confidence in Garnier, who is the subject of an internal government inquiry. |
| But amid reports of several dozen Tory MPs and ministers being named as behaving in a sexually inappropriate way on a list drawn up by party aides, May’s spokesman declined to say whether she had sought information on potential wrongdoing. | But amid reports of several dozen Tory MPs and ministers being named as behaving in a sexually inappropriate way on a list drawn up by party aides, May’s spokesman declined to say whether she had sought information on potential wrongdoing. |
| The spokesman denied that May had seen an alleged dossier compiled by party whips on MPs’ behaviour, saying: “There is no dossier and therefore the prime minister hasn’t seen one.” He added that he could not give a running commentary on what was happening. | |
| He said he did not know of any allegations of wrongdoing beyond that connected to Garnier, who has admitted asking a former assistant to buy sex toys and calling her “sugar tits”. | He said he did not know of any allegations of wrongdoing beyond that connected to Garnier, who has admitted asking a former assistant to buy sex toys and calling her “sugar tits”. |