Suspended by Labour, shadow minister hit by claims she bullied staff
LABOUR was rocked last night as one of Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench team was suspended over claims she bullied staff members.
But Debbie Abrahams claimed she herself had been the victim of a ten-month campaign of aggression and intimidation waged by the Labour leader’s office.
The party’s work and pensions spokesman also threatened to take legal action against her accusers.
Mrs Abrahams, 57, was suspended after the party received a number of complaints about her behaviour.
Officials said she would step down while the party held a ‘no prejudice investigation’ into the claims.
A Labour spokesman said: ‘Debbie Abrahams has stood aside from her frontbench role while the party investigates an employment issue.
‘Margaret Greenwood will act up as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions during this period.’
But last night Mrs Abrahams denied she had agreed to step aside and said there was ‘ a bullying culture of the worst kind’ at the top of the party.
The MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, who was first elected in 2011, said: ‘I refute the allegations that have been made against me in the strongest possible terms.
‘I will fight this spurious claim and do not rule out taking legal action. I have had no details about the complaint, who it is from, the process or timescales. I have not agreed to stand aside.
‘My treatment by certain individuals in the Leader’s Office over the last ten months has been aggressive, intimidating and wholly unprofessional. My treatment in the last week has shown a bullying culture of the worst kind. As such I’m making a formal complaint to both the Labour Party and parliamentary authorities.’ The row comes as
‘Aggressive and unprofessional’
there John as Commons is Bercow mounting Speaker to stand pressure after down on he was also accused of bullying staff members. Critics of Mr Bercow will today begin collecting signatures of MPs for a motion of no confidence amid speculation he could choose to step down to prevent the growing crisis hindering his chances of a peerage.
Mr Bercow faces accusations his private secretary quit and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after nine months working in his office. Another senior official left after it was claimed Mr Bercow told him to ‘f*** off’. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen last night said: ‘The only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to him or her.
‘It is why I am now calling here and now for John Bercow to stand down as Speaker.
‘When he stood for election as Speaker in 2009, he told MPs that he would serve no more than nine years, that means he should hand over to a new Speaker this summer.’
Former Tory minister James Duddridge said: ‘He is clinging on by his fingers. I think we could do with a proper Speaker that sees the role as managing the House of Commons and defending backbenchers, rather than promoting themselves.’