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| Labour activist says she was raped at party event and told not to report it | Labour activist says she was raped at party event and told not to report it |
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| Allegations of sexual misconduct in Westminster took a new turn on Tuesday as a Labour activist spoke of being raped at a party event after a woman had described being assaulted on a hotel bed by an MP last year. | |
| The two women both criticised the lack of proper processes for reporting their allegations, as political parties struggled with a fifth day of serious revelations about harassment and abuse in British politics. | The two women both criticised the lack of proper processes for reporting their allegations, as political parties struggled with a fifth day of serious revelations about harassment and abuse in British politics. |
| The second woman, who said she was sexually assaulted by an MP on a hotel bed last year, criticised as “inadequate” proposals announced by the government on Monday aimed at enhancing existing reporting systems in parliament. | The second woman, who said she was sexually assaulted by an MP on a hotel bed last year, criticised as “inadequate” proposals announced by the government on Monday aimed at enhancing existing reporting systems in parliament. |
| The Westminster staffer, who works for another MP and asked to remain anonymous, said there needed to be a “credible independent body” to investigate complaints about politicians’ behaviour that was not connected to the parties. | |
| “Some of the people who knew what happened to me are now being tasked with fixing this broken system and those are the very people who in my opinion at best turned a blind eye and at worst actively covered it up,” she said. | “Some of the people who knew what happened to me are now being tasked with fixing this broken system and those are the very people who in my opinion at best turned a blind eye and at worst actively covered it up,” she said. |
| The other woman, the Labour activist Bex Bailey, said she was raped at a party event in 2011 by a more senior party member but later discouraged by an official from reporting it in case it damaged her career. | |
| She told the BBC’s PM programme: “It took me a while to summon up the courage to tell anyone in the party, but when I did I told a senior member of staff … it was suggested to me that I not report it. I was told that if I did it might damage me and that might be their genuine view. It might be that that was the case, in which case that shows that we have a serious problem in politics with this issue anyway.” | She told the BBC’s PM programme: “It took me a while to summon up the courage to tell anyone in the party, but when I did I told a senior member of staff … it was suggested to me that I not report it. I was told that if I did it might damage me and that might be their genuine view. It might be that that was the case, in which case that shows that we have a serious problem in politics with this issue anyway.” |
| Labour said it had launched an investigation into the party’s handling of the allegations and urged the police to investigate. | Labour said it had launched an investigation into the party’s handling of the allegations and urged the police to investigate. |
| The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said Bailey had “shown incredible bravery by talking publicly about what has happened to her and has my full support and solidarity”. | |
| Yvette Cooper, the home affairs committee chair, said it was “just awful” as she praised Bailey for “great bravery in speaking out and on campaigning on harassment and violence for many years”. | |
| A string of sexual allegations relating to MPs have emerged since the Harvey Weinstein scandal prompted staff at Westminster to discuss concerns about the behaviour of politicians – including in a spreadsheet that now makes claims about approximately 40 Conservatives. | A string of sexual allegations relating to MPs have emerged since the Harvey Weinstein scandal prompted staff at Westminster to discuss concerns about the behaviour of politicians – including in a spreadsheet that now makes claims about approximately 40 Conservatives. |
| The most prominent allegations so far have been against Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, who was forced to apologised for repeatedly touching a journalist’s knee during a dinner, and Mark Garnier, a trade minister, who is being investigated for a potential breach of the ministerial code after he admitted asking his former assistant to buy sex toys. The former cabinet minister Stephen Crabb has also admitted sending “sexual chatter” messages to a 19-year-old woman who hoped to work for him. | |
| However, MPs grew increasingly alarmed about the rest of the spreadsheet, which began to circulate more widely in Westminster on Tuesday and was being discussed openly among those working on the parliamentary estate. The document describes some as having affairs, being “inappropriate” with female and male staff, or in other cases as “handsy in taxis”. | |
| There was a sombre mood among Conservative MPs as they tried to get hold of the list, with one former minister looking deeply upset after realising that his name was included on the document. | There was a sombre mood among Conservative MPs as they tried to get hold of the list, with one former minister looking deeply upset after realising that his name was included on the document. |
| Others said the issue was the “talk of the tea rooms”, with one cabinet member expressing astonishment to learn that an established public relationship they had been in was included. | |
| Some said high-flying MPs on the list now feared for their careers or their marriages. Others said that they hoped the outcome would be action to set up a more robust and independent system to make and resolve complaints. | |
| A number of the allegations on the list were strongly denied by the parties involved, and others related to consensual sexual relations. | A number of the allegations on the list were strongly denied by the parties involved, and others related to consensual sexual relations. |
| The prime minister’s spokesman was repeatedly asked about the circulation of the list but would not be drawn on specific names, saying: “I’m not getting involved in speculation about individuals.” | The prime minister’s spokesman was repeatedly asked about the circulation of the list but would not be drawn on specific names, saying: “I’m not getting involved in speculation about individuals.” |
| But he did say the prime minister believed her defence secretary was right to say sorry for repeatedly touching the knee of Julia Hartley-Brewer, a journalist, during a dinner. “He has been clear he apologised for something that took place in the past – it is right that he apologised in relation to that incident,” the spokesman said. | |
| He added that the prime minister did not approve of Fallon’s behaviour towards Hartley-Brewer in 2002 but said the case was in the past and would not be taken further – although when pressed by reporters the Downing Street spokesman would not say that May had full confidence in her defence secretary. | He added that the prime minister did not approve of Fallon’s behaviour towards Hartley-Brewer in 2002 but said the case was in the past and would not be taken further – although when pressed by reporters the Downing Street spokesman would not say that May had full confidence in her defence secretary. |
| “I’m not doing running commentaries, I’ve dealt with the incident,” he said, before offering a more general statement about May’s opinion of her cabinet. “The prime minister has confidence in her government and ministers.” | |
| May has proposed an independent mediation service for staff wanting to raise concerns about MPs’ behaviour and enforcing a grievance procedure overseen by MPs that is currently voluntary. | May has proposed an independent mediation service for staff wanting to raise concerns about MPs’ behaviour and enforcing a grievance procedure overseen by MPs that is currently voluntary. |
| However, a number of MPs are pressing for tougher action, including an independent body to police the conduct of politicians similar to the Independent Standards Authority, which acts as the watchdog for expenses. | However, a number of MPs are pressing for tougher action, including an independent body to police the conduct of politicians similar to the Independent Standards Authority, which acts as the watchdog for expenses. |
| May’s chief whip, Gavin Williamson, made a rare public statement to the Express & Star, his local newspaper, on Tuesday saying it was for police to investigate anything wrong or illegal alleged to have been done by MPs. | May’s chief whip, Gavin Williamson, made a rare public statement to the Express & Star, his local newspaper, on Tuesday saying it was for police to investigate anything wrong or illegal alleged to have been done by MPs. |
| “In any situation where someone has done anything that is wrong or illegal, this has to be reported to the police straight away, that’s the view of the prime minister, I share that view, and I think everyone else does too. And that is the point that is so critical to emphasise throughout.” | |
| But John Mann, the Labour MP who has been repeatedly raising the issue in parliament, said Williamson was “so wrong” as it was “for the victim to decide this, not the employer” and there were other relevant actions an employer could take in case of sexual misconduct. |