Parliament concerns should be logged, warns MP

CONCERNS AGAINST individuals working in Parliament should be logged to prevent a “Jimmy Savile situation” emerging, MPs have heard.

Labour’s Jess Phillips (Birmingham Yardley) said she has received some “harrowing” reports of behaviour by people who work in Parliament, adding she was left a “little bit with my hands tied” in how to respond. Ms Phillips said a system in which MPs, staff members and others can “without prejudice” log concerns would allow patterns to show up, and avoid a situation where people have suspicions but nothing else follows.

One-time TV presenter Savile was exposed as a serial child abuser after his death in 2011. Ms Phillips’s remarks came during a general debate on Dame Laura Cox’s report on the bullying and harassment of House of Commons staff, which also saw Tory former minister Maria Miller warn that a culture of “complacency, cover-up and denial” still existed in the Commons.

After raising concerns over non-disclosure agreements, Ms Phillips said: “I also think that some of the issues that have been raised about whether we can have a log where things can just be logged but not necessarily action taken is a really important point that came up – also the issue of third-party reporting.

“I have received some harrowing reports of behaviours in this place or by people in this place rather, that I know people won’t ever come forward to say and then I’m left a little bit with my hands tied knowing some of those things.”

Speaker John Bercow, who has denied allegations of bullying levelled against him, was not in the chair as MPs began discussing the issue. SNP frontbencher Alison Thewliss later said “the patriarchy practically oozes out of the walls” of Parliament.”