Tuesday, January 03, 2023
Westminster sexual misconduct in the news again
The Guardian reports that calls are growing for third parties to be allowed to make complaints to Westminster’s sexual misconduct watchdog, after concerns were reignited about parliament’s culture by a Labour MP who privately shared a list of 20 MPs to avoid.
The paper says that after a number of sexual misconduct and bullying scandals have led to suspensions and resignations of sitting MPs, some parliamentarians and unions say they remain concerned that witnesses cannot make complaints:
Complaints to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Service can also only be made by those working on the parliamentary estate or in constituencies, not from those outside who experience bullying or harassment from MPs.
Mike Clancy, the general secretary of Prospect, a leading union for staff working for parliament, said: “Trade unions and others in parliament have been warning for many years about a dangerous culture which fails to address sexual misconduct.
“It is abundantly clear that further reform is needed to protect those working there. This must include excluding MPs under investigation for sexual misconduct and must also include allowing third parties to report complaints to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Service.”
Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, posted the list of 20 names on a WhatsApp group for other Labour MPs before deleting it, saying it had been sent in error, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Nichols, who was elected in 2019, has previously said that when she arrived in Westminster, she was given a “whisper network list” of dozens of politicians to avoid.
Speaking in November, she said some MPs were notorious for their bullying or sexual misconduct, adding: “We all know and nothing is done and they continue to walk around and do their jobs – and there’s that kind of culture of impunity on it.”
The report cited a Conservative MP who called the list “grossly irresponsible” and said Nichols should make a complaint to the ICGS or police if she had evidence.
Responding on Twitter, Nichols said: “I can’t legally make a third-party report to the ICGS or police. Am I not meant to warn others about conduct I’ve seen, experienced or been told about that many times by different people that it’s a clear pattern of behaviour? I’m many things but a bystander isn’t one, and while Westminster is as grim as it is I won’t pretend otherwise.”
She added: “What’s actually irresponsible is the lack of real action to sort out Westminster’s sexual harassment problem which is so endemic other MPs and staff have to be warned about some colleagues’ behaviour to keep them safe! Wish it wasn’t this way, but for now it is. So here we are.”
While MPs remain effectively above the law, it is clear that Westminster is not a safe place to work. It is surely time that Parliament got its own house in order.
The paper says that after a number of sexual misconduct and bullying scandals have led to suspensions and resignations of sitting MPs, some parliamentarians and unions say they remain concerned that witnesses cannot make complaints:
Complaints to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Service can also only be made by those working on the parliamentary estate or in constituencies, not from those outside who experience bullying or harassment from MPs.
Mike Clancy, the general secretary of Prospect, a leading union for staff working for parliament, said: “Trade unions and others in parliament have been warning for many years about a dangerous culture which fails to address sexual misconduct.
“It is abundantly clear that further reform is needed to protect those working there. This must include excluding MPs under investigation for sexual misconduct and must also include allowing third parties to report complaints to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Service.”
Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, posted the list of 20 names on a WhatsApp group for other Labour MPs before deleting it, saying it had been sent in error, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Nichols, who was elected in 2019, has previously said that when she arrived in Westminster, she was given a “whisper network list” of dozens of politicians to avoid.
Speaking in November, she said some MPs were notorious for their bullying or sexual misconduct, adding: “We all know and nothing is done and they continue to walk around and do their jobs – and there’s that kind of culture of impunity on it.”
The report cited a Conservative MP who called the list “grossly irresponsible” and said Nichols should make a complaint to the ICGS or police if she had evidence.
Responding on Twitter, Nichols said: “I can’t legally make a third-party report to the ICGS or police. Am I not meant to warn others about conduct I’ve seen, experienced or been told about that many times by different people that it’s a clear pattern of behaviour? I’m many things but a bystander isn’t one, and while Westminster is as grim as it is I won’t pretend otherwise.”
She added: “What’s actually irresponsible is the lack of real action to sort out Westminster’s sexual harassment problem which is so endemic other MPs and staff have to be warned about some colleagues’ behaviour to keep them safe! Wish it wasn’t this way, but for now it is. So here we are.”
While MPs remain effectively above the law, it is clear that Westminster is not a safe place to work. It is surely time that Parliament got its own house in order.
