Reports
Politicians break silence on abuse as Leadsom warns members may be sacked for predatory behaviour
AN MP has revealed that a member of staff in the Commons reported an allegation of sexual assault to the authorities but they “did nothing” in response.
Liz Saville-roberts, who leads Plaid Cymru in Westminster, told the Commons that the member of staff, who works for an MP, was left “deeply disappointed”.
She was one of a series of MPS who yesterday spoke publicly about the abuse and harassment that they and female members of staff had faced.
Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the Commons, warned that MPS who make their staff feel “uncomfortable” – including Cabinet ministers – faced the sack. Ms Leadsom said that she and the Conservatives were “setting the bar significantly below criminal activity”. She said: “In the case of staff, they could forfeit their jobs. In the case of Members of Parliament, they could have the whip withdrawn and they could be fired from ministerial office.”
Ms Leadsom pledged to establish a dedicated team in Parliament to enable staff to report incidents involving sexual harassment.
Rupa Huq, a Labour MP, told Sky News that she had been harassed when she was in her 20s by a male MEP in parliament with “wandering hands”. She said: “[The MEP’S] wandering hands found their way on to me, which I did not like and I did not do anything about because it was such an imbalanced power relation.”
Lucy Powell, a Labour MP, said that as a young researcher she was subject to “bullying and inappropriate behaviour” but felt she had “nowhere to go”.
During a debate in the Commons yesterday Rachel Maclean, a recently elected Tory MP, said she had been “shocked” to learn of the experiences of her young staff. She said: “I was speaking to my own researcher ... and she herself highlighted her own experiences that she has had in this place – and as a new MP I definitely find that shocking and unacceptable.”
Chi Onwurah, a Labour MP, said she had complained about some MPS making researchers feel “deeply uncomfortable” in a parliamentary bar.
“When I complained recently to an officer of Parliament who had some responsibility in this area that I knew a number of researchers …who had been made to feel deeply uncomfortable in the Sports and Social club here by members of Parliament, I was told that happens in pubs all over the country,” she said. It has also emerged that a plan to make House of Commons staff wear name badges was ditched after female members of staff raised concerns that it would encourage men to stare at their chests. Parliamentary authorities suggested the idea in 2014, but in a consultation exercise women working in Parliament said male MPS already “harassed” them.
One said: “I am not comfortable with the prospect of people staring at my chest to find out who I am,” while another said: “A simple conversation should be sufficient in introducing ourselves to our colleagues and to members, without encouraging strangers to peer at our chests.”
Andrea Leadsom told the Commons yesterday that MPS have to put their house in order, as quickly as possible. The rash of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse has doubtless caused panic in a male-dominated institution that is often old fashioned in its views and working practices. Reform is needed now. Parliament must ensure that everyone is treated in a professional and courteous manner, and that wrongdoing is properly reported. Mistakes from the past need to be learned from.
One is not to lose sight of the individual victim. The problem with the crackdown on child abuse that followed the Jimmy Savile revelations was that it too often focused on historic allegations against dead men. Such things cannot be tried in court, so false allegations flourished and genuine abuse didn’t go punished. The Savile scandal also evolved into a “verdict on the Seventies”, which, by casting its net so incredibly wide, risked losing sight of the individual offenders who were totally responsible for their actions and couldn’t explain it away as a question of time and place.
There is a risk that the current wave of sexual harassment charges becomes regarded as a cultural problem in politics that’s too big to be blamed on individual MPS, with collective responsibility effectively letting some off the hook. That happened towards the end of the expenses scandal: some MPS resigned, some even went to prison, but many stayed put and were re-elected in 2010. Despite wave after wave of populist revolt, British politicians remain remarkably good at retaining their seats and holding on to power. The willingness to overlook things is often dictated by partisanship. In the past, John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, has joked twice about assassinating Margaret Thatcher and has quoted remarks made by others about lynching a former female Tory minister. He remains in his post.
It’s obvious that the Government is very worried about the present, emerging allegations against MPS – and rightly so. It must work to establish a proper procedure for complaints, one that ensures that anything criminal is passed on to the police. As a general principle, it’s up to the voters to decide whether or not they want to keep an MP accused of misbehaviour, but that doesn’t mean all the parties cannot operate a tighter ship when it comes to those who take their whip. The reputation of Parliament rests in their hands.