A Labour MP has claimed one of her colleagues who was reported to the police for alleged sexual assault is still on the opposition frontbench because the party “has chosen not to act”.
Charlotte Nichols, who represents Warrington North, did not name the individual but said she has challenged Labour officials about the claims and “their response has been utterly inadequate”.
Speaking to BBC Radio Four in the wake of the Geraint Davies scandal, Ms Nichols also revealed that within her first week of being elected to parliament in 2019 she was given a “verbal list” of around 30 MPs she should “steer clear of” due to their inappropriate behaviour.
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She said there is a “deeply rotten culture” within Westminster when it comes to sexual harassment and “none of the systems we have in place are effective”.
Giving an example, Ms Nichols said: “One of our colleagues who has been reported to police for assault who still has the party whip is still on the frontbench, but the party has chosen not to act.”
Ms Nichols also said: “I am aware of cases where people have been sexually assaulted, they have gone to the ICGS (parliament’s independent complains and grievance scheme) and have been told that they can’t act because it didn’t happen on the parliamentary estate.
“They’ve then gone to the party who took seven months to tell them they weren’t going to be investigating it and were effectively left with the option of going to the police… and that is in a context where we know conviction rate is 1.6%.”
Last month, it was reported by Tortoise Media that a female Labour MP claimed she had been sexually assaulted by a male shadow minister, allegedly after a summer party in London in July 2021.
The BBC later reported that a complaint was made to the Met but they would not be investigating the matter “at the victim’s request”.
At the time, Labour said it had not been contacted by the police or received a formal complaint.
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Labour MP suspended after complaint
However, Ms Nichols said she has personally raised the issue of the police allegation to the party hierarchy and there is “nothing that prevents them from acting”.
‘Rotten culture in Westminster’
Ms Nichols said she felt compelled to speak out because there is often talk about “bad apples” when sleaze scandals emerge in Westminster, but the problem goes much deeper – and the systems in place to address it aren’t effective.
She said: “When I first came into parliament, literally within the first week, there was a list of names, about 30 MPs, people I was told I should do everything I could to make sure I wasn’t alone with, never accept a drink from, not get a lift with.
“Their bad behaviour is so widely known and so little action has been taken that it is left to individuals to keep themselves safe.”
The backbencher said that “fundamentally there’s an underlying rotten culture in Westminster and it’s baked into every level of how the institution operates”.
“It’s incumbent on all of us to stop talking about bad apples and talk about what’s causing that rot.”
The comments come after veteran Labour MP Geraint Davies was suspended from the party pending an investigation into reports, which he denied, of “incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour”.
It has dragged the issue of Westminster sleaze back into the spotlight, with MPs set to vote on banning members from parliament if they are under criminal investigation for sexual or violent offences later this month.
Labour has also said it will review its internal complaints procedure amid claims Mr Davies’s behaviour was an “open secret”.
Labour ‘shamed into acting’ over Geraint Davies
Ms Nichols accused her party of being “shamed” into suspending the 63-year-old politician after the allegations surrounding his conduct were reported by Politico on Thursday.
Sky News has seen evidence the Labour Party whips’ office was made aware of allegations many months ago but did not take action, while two of his colleagues claimed it is “well known” that he “boasted” about bringing sex workers into parliament for drinks.
The party has said it is unable to act in the absence of formal complaints – but Ms Nichols pointed out one had not been made at the time the whip was suspended from Mr Davies shortly after the story broke.
She accused her party of “damage limitation” adding: “None of these things are going to change unless its MPs that push for this change.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “We would strongly urge anyone with a complaint to come forward so that allegations can be swiftly and fully investigated and action taken.
“The party has ensured that there is a wide range of support available to complainants, to provide confidence and confidential guidance throughout the disciplinary process.”