We need a watchdog to take on the Weinsteins of Westminster

Young women preyed on. Sex assaults covered up. No, not Hollywood but the Commons, says this MP. That’s why...

THE Harvey Weinstein scandal has been a wake-up call for everybody regarding the sexual harassment of women by men in powerful positions. And it must be a wake-up call for Westminster too. A number of us have been warning the parliamentary authorities for some time that the problem of male MPs who prey on young interns, secretaries, advisers and others, has been swept under the carpet for too long.

As last week’s revelations about researchers’ WhatsApp groups have shown, it is common knowledge that there are some characters in Westminster who are best avoided.

For decades, men working in the halls of power have been able to get away with the kind of sexually inappropriate behaviour that could land them in court if it occurred outside the closed world of politics.

Indeed, it is easier for a young woman who is sexually harassed in Parliament Square to report wrongdoing and get help than if she were a researcher across the road in the Palace of Westminster.

Someone once joked that politics is ‘showbusiness for ugly people’. And indeed, the power dynamic is actually very similar to the one that allowed Harvey Weinstein to get away with his alleged crimes against young actresses.

HOLLYWOOD and Parliament have a lot in common. Both are high-pressure environments where powerful figures at the top can use their influence to prey on others. With the average age of MPs being 20 years or more greater than their staff, the imbalance of power and authority can be easy for the unscrupulous to exploit.

I raised this issue at a public hearing of the Commons Committee on Standards last year. I said it was well known that female members of staff had been sexually harassed by male MPs – including current MPs – but nothing had been done about it because the victims believed that no one would listen to their complaints.

Shortly after I gave evidence to the committee, a parliamentary employee approached me and said she had been assaulted by an MP on an official overseas trip. She said that she had complained but had been ignored. Since then, I have heard similar stories from others working at Westminster.

The problem is that such complaints are referred to the offending MP’s party political masters, the Whips, who are relied upon to investigate.

But, in reality, the Whips are compromised. They all have their party’s best interests at heart and some may have been friends and colleagues with alleged perpetrators for decades.

So how can the Whips ever be independent, fair and treat a complaint in confidence?

Sexual harassment and assault should not be the business of party Whips. A big part of the problem is the fact that it is.

Until recently, a similar culture of secrecy existed around MPs’ expenses. It led to widespread abuse and now an independent watchdog, IPSA, monitors MPs’ expenses. If any are suspected of cheating, IPSA has the power to investigate and punish wrongdoers.

We need a similar system to protect staff in Parliament from sex-pest politicians.

It is worth remembering that predatory MPs can put anyone on the parliamentary estate at risk: male or female, researchers or domestic staff.

Everyone who works here is entitled to the same protection, and the same right to have their concerns listened to.

Yesterday we learned that Kathryn Hudson, the commissioner for standards at the Commons, had been knocked back by MPs when she tried to expand anti-harassment policies to include MPs.

It is also notable that harassment and abuse are not listed on the Commons intranet as reasons to call a muchvaunted ‘anti-bullying helpline’, which is on offer to MPs and their staff.

We need to make it easier for victims to blow the whistle and raise the matter with an independent and expert parliamentary watchdog. Anyone working in Westminster needs to be secure in the knowledge that they can approach this watchdog in full confidence and have the right to remain anonymous.

And, above all, they need to know that their complaint will be taken seriously and not be dismissed for the sake of political expediency.

IN THE gossipy corridors of Westminster, those coming forward need to know their testimony will be treated in the strictest confidence. Their personal information should not be shared with their party, with the Whips or with anyone not involved with their case.

In criminal cases, a parliamentary watchdog must work hand-in-hand with the police to bring perpetrators to justice.

When an MP is found to have acted improperly (and MPs should be held to higher standards of behaviour), a thorough and consistent process must be followed, and proper sanctions imposed, to ensure their behaviour is not repeated.

Parties must also make sure their conferences and meetings do not present further opportunities for these sex pests.

The culture of Parliament is one of irregular hours, late evenings and high pressure, while the relationship between an MP and their staff is based on loyalty and confidence.

This is precisely why a culture that has allowed MPs to prey on young members of staff must now be ended.

This culture needs to change fundamentally, and soon. An MP who uses their position of power to sexually harass, abuse and silence those just trying to do their job has absolutely no place in the Parliament of a modern democracy.

Incredibly, MPs’ conduct in this regard have improved somewhat in the 16 years that I have held a seat. That is largely because there are now more women here and it has already had an impact on the way most male MPs behave.

Thankfully, the days when MPs like Alan Clark boasted of using his position as a politician to prey on women are over.

But we are fooling ourselves if we think that some MPs do not continue to use their position and power to sexually harass young women and men. They do.

Almost a decade ago, Parliament cleaned up its act over the expenses scandal. Now it is time to take sexual harassment seriously and lance this boil.

We have a duty to those who have come forward, as well as to the countless others who felt they could not. We must act now and make sure that the era of the Weinsteins of Westminster is over. For good.

We have a duty to the victims of harassment

John Mann is Labour MP for Bassetlaw.