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| May and Corbyn agree new grievance system for Westminster staff | May and Corbyn agree new grievance system for Westminster staff |
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| Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have agreed to introduce a new grievance procedure for parliamentary staff and face-to-face human resources support in an “important step forward” amid allegations of sexual misconduct at Westminster, according to a statement. | Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have agreed to introduce a new grievance procedure for parliamentary staff and face-to-face human resources support in an “important step forward” amid allegations of sexual misconduct at Westminster, according to a statement. |
| The prime minister said earlier on Monday that she wanted a cross-party approach to overhauling complaints procedures, after allegations emerged about senior Conservative and Labour politicians, leading to the resignation of the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, the suspension of multiple MPs and investigations into her deputy, Damian Green. | The prime minister said earlier on Monday that she wanted a cross-party approach to overhauling complaints procedures, after allegations emerged about senior Conservative and Labour politicians, leading to the resignation of the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, the suspension of multiple MPs and investigations into her deputy, Damian Green. |
| She also said she had been made aware of more issues that were not yet in the public domain. | She also said she had been made aware of more issues that were not yet in the public domain. |
| Speaking after a meeting of party leaders in her parliamentary office, May said: “Sadly, over recent days, we have seen a number of allegations about figures from across the political parties and it’s important that those are investigated impartially, and some have rightly been referred to the police. | |
| “I think if this hasn’t happened to you it’s difficult to appreciate the impact that being a victim of this sort of behaviour can have. We need to do more to stop these abuses of power and I’m pleased that having convened this meeting of party leaders today we have agreed a way forward. | |
| “We are going to ensure that there’s an upgrade to the existing phone line for staff so that staff in future will be able to get face-to-face HR support and for that to be in place by the end of the month. And we’ve also agreed that we need a completely new grievance procedure for staff working here, for everybody working here, and that that should come into effect in the new year.” | |
| May was asked to “categorically” state that she had known nothing about any allegations that have come to the fore after the Harvey Weinstein scandal. | |
| She replied: “The allegations that have come to the fore in the last week I have been made aware of over that time period because of things that have appeared in the press but also allegations that I’ve been told over the last week in private. What is important is that we come together here in parliament, as leaders of parties have done today, to say that we need to bring an end to this abuse of power.” | |
| May’s de facto deputy, Damian Green, is being interviewed as part of a Cabinet Office investigation that has been expanded to include claims that pornography was found on one of his parliamentary computers in 2008. Green, the first secretary of state, has strongly denied the claims. |