Peer faces long ban for sexual harassment
Political correspondent
A PEER has become the first parliamentarian to face suspension over sexual harassment after he told a woman “sleep with me and I will make you a baroness”.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC, a former Liberal Democrat peer, will not be allowed back into the House of Lords until 2022 after sexually harassing a woman and “offering her corrupt inducements to become his mistress” if the finding by the standards watchdog is upheld.
However, he could escape any sanction as peers could overturn the findings on “the principles of natural justice and fairness” when the report is voted on in the Lords on Thursday.
The leading human rights lawyer, who was the architect of some of the UK’S race and sex equality laws, was under investigation over a historic allegation of sexual harassment.
The House of Lords privileges and conduct committee yesterday recommended Lord Lester be suspended for what would be the longest period for a peer or MP since the Second World War.
Its report said Lord Lester, 82, “persisted in unwanted touching, even when the complainant clearly objected, persisted in making sexual comments and offers to her, even after she clearly objected” and “took advantage of her being alone in his house to harass her”.
He told the woman, a campaigner who was in her 40s when the alleged harassment began 12 years ago: “If you sleep with me I will make you a baroness within a year.” When she declined he threatened “repercussions”. He then excluded her from meetings relating to her work. “The impression he conveyed was that he was a man of power who could make things happen and that I was powerless in comparison,” she said.
Years later, Lord Lester emailed the woman out of the blue, criticising her for campaigning about something he did not agree with.
“The tone of the email made me feel as if I was being reprimanded and again he had the power to send me such an email,” she said.
The harassment started when she missed her train home. The peer invited her to stay in his London house, under the pretext that his wife wanted to meet her.
The woman came forward in November 2017, encouraged by other disclosures of parliamentary abuse. She provided several witnesses, among them a judge and a crown prosecutor, who were able to say she described the events immediately after they took place.
The peer provided his own witnesses, including his wife, who said they had never seen him acting inappropriately.
Lord Lester said: “These allegations are completely untrue. I produced evidence which clearly demonstrated that what I was said to have done 12 years ago did not happen.
“Independent counsel who previously advised the committee on its procedures provided an advice which concluded that the investigation was flawed. I regret the committee’s conclusions in light of these materials.”
By Anna Mikhailova
HUNDREDS of civil servants working in Whitehall have made complaints about suffering sexual harassment or bullying at the hands of colleagues – but only a fraction of staff have faced disciplinary action.
An investigation using Freedom of Information laws found that government departments or quangos have received at least 551 complaints from staff over the past three years.
Yet The Guardian reported that in scores of cases staff have apparently not faced disciplinary investigations, with dozens more of those accused of misconduct escaping any kind of punishment.
The scale of the problem is likely to be far higher as only 21 government departments and taxpayer-funded bodies provided data, with many claiming they were unable to supply information. There have been growing concerns over bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace since the Metoo campaign.
The study found that the Treasury received at least 21 complaints from staff who said they had been bullied in the last three years, yet just a small number were investigated formally.
In HM Revenue and Customs there were 362 complaints from staff who say they have been sexually harassed and bullied since 2016 – but only a fraction faced disciplinary investigations.
At the Crown Prosecution Service there were 48 complaints but only a small number of disciplinary investigations carried out.
A Government spokesman said: “All allegations are taken extremely seriously, investigated promptly where appropriate and always dealt with in the strictest confidence. The Government published a comprehensive review into tackling bullying and harassment in September and we have further strengthened the routes for staff to report bullying and harassment to ensure investigations are transparent and staff are fully supported. We are listening to staff and taking action.”
A CPS spokesman said: “In some instances, allegations of bullying will be resolved informally through mediation, an apology or training, without the need for a formal disciplinary process.”