‘Nothing done’ after MP’s assault on Commons staffer
A former Commons employee yesterday spoke out about how “nothing was done” after she was attacked by an MP.
Fighting back tears in a TV interview, Lisette Whittaker said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic disorder after she was assaulted by the unnamed politician, who then stalked her for years with impunity.
She said the MP “would find me” in the staff cafeteria and she was made to feel like she had to just “suck it up”.
The former committee assistant is one of more than 80 parliamentary staff who on Monday signed an unprecedented letter demanding an overhaul of Commons procedures, after a damning report of abuse allegations at Westminster.
The report, published last week and written by former high court judge Dame Laura Cox, highlighted an “urgent and serious” problem. More than 200 complainants claimed to have been groped and propositioned, often by male MPs, in a culture of “deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence”.
Ms Whittaker started working for the European Scrutiny Committee in 1993 when she was 19. She spoke of constant harassment from the start and said she and other colleagues were referred to as “the Eurobabes”.
She told Sky News: “I was assaulted by an MP, I can only say now, and I did report it but nothing was done. In fact it was brushed under the carpet. It was made out that it was a sort of minor incident and what did I expect and what did I want them to do about it?”
The only person she could complain to was her manager, who often shouted at her and made inappropriate comments about her clothes.
Ms Whittaker said the MP went on to “stalk me for years”, adding: “He would find me. He would make a beeline for me in the staff cafeteria. He would come and sit with me. He would make a beeline for me and my friends knew, ‘Oh god here he comes’, and we would share our experiences of members behaving badly.
“You were just made to feel like you just had to get on with it, you just have to suck it up.”
Ms Whittaker said she had now reported the man to the police, after being urged to act by Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, who is spearheading the work to root out abuse in parliament. She said other historic cases should be investigated and called for an apology to her and other victims over what has been dismissed as “part and parcel of this insular culture” at Westminster.
Ms Whittaker added: “I don’t think people appreciate how damaging it is to people and that’s the message that I want to get across. This is affecting everyday people, it is affecting their lives, it is affecting their careers. I felt there was no choice but for me to leave the House because I couldn’t cope with it any longer.”
It comes as senior figures on the House of Commons Commission were due to meet to discuss Dame Laura’s report amid pressure on John Bercow to stand down over the allegations. He stepped aside from his role as chair of the commission yesterday after being accused of bullying – allegations he strongly denies.
Mr Bercow has signalled his intentions to stand down as speaker in the summer. His critics claim a change in Westminster culture can only begin once he does so.