Commons staff ‘face daily abuse and sex harassment’

THE House of Commons has allowed a culture to develop of “deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence” in which the bullying and harassment of staff has been able to thrive, an official report has found.

Commons staff described how they routinely suffer abuse and harassment from MPs who know they will never face disciplinary action for their conduct.

The report by Dame Laura Cox into bullying in the House paints a picture of a workplace where MPs enjoy a “God-like status” and abusive behaviour is actively covered up.

While the vast majority of MPs treated staff with courtesy and respect, some were alleged to have engaged in “shocking and abhorrent” behaviour which would cause “outrage” in any place of work.

They ranged from staff being shouted at, sworn at and belittled on an “almost daily” basis to the “predatory” behaviour of some male MPs towards female staff.

Complaints including frequent propositioning and “inappropriate touching” – including “trying to kiss them, grabbing their arms or bottoms or stroking their breasts or bottoms” – in an atmosphere fuelled by ready access to alcohol.

“Women spoke of comments frequently being made during the course of their work, in either positive or negative terms, about their appearance, their dress or their ‘physical attributes’, and to them being the butt of joking exchanges about such matters between Members, in their presence and often in front of others,” the report said.

“There were reports too of groups of male MPs becoming increasingly boorish on occasions when they were together, of frequent sexual innuendos, lewd comments or sexual gestures, or women repeatedly being asked questions about their sex lives, or about their personal lives generally, which they found offensive and humiliating.”

The report added: “The most serious allegations related to the alleged ‘predatory’ conduct of a few individuals, but overall the allegations indicate that sexual harassment has been a more widespread problem, and it crosses the political sphere.

“All of the allegations (of sexual harassment) were made against men.

Some are no longer in the House but others continue to serve as elected Members.”

Other complaints included staff being regularly shouted at in front of others and told “You’re f ****** useless”, being set “wholly unrealistic” work demands, and being summoned to meetings when they had to leave for childcare commitments in a manner described as “poisonous, vindictive and deliberate”.

The report said the problems were exacerbated by a prevailing culture where senior managers were unwilling to challenge MPs over their conduct towards more junior staff and where MPs “have never feared any sort of discipline”.