COMMONS leader Andrea Leadsom is recommending a “short, independently led” inquiry into allegations of bullying of parliamentary staff.
It follows claims made against Speaker John Bercow and two MPs, all strongly denied.
Leadsom told the Commons: “I will propose that the inquiry should hear from past and current staff members about their experiences and help to provide them with closure wherever possible.”
She told MPs that allegations of bullying were a “huge concern” to her. Replying to an urgent question, Leadsom also said: “I’m committed to stamping out all kinds of bullying and harassment in Parliament, in order to create an environment in which everyone feels safe and is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Leadsom said the House’s “Respect Policy” was thought to be working well but added: “Following the Newsnight allegations, it is clear that the Respect Policy may not be sufficient to protect House staff.”
She also said of the newly-announced inquiry: “I will propose it should hear from past and current staff members about their experiences and help to provide them with closure where possible.”
Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas, who tabled the urgent question, said MPs and the public would have been “shocked” by the Newsnight allegations.
She said: “There are now considerable grounds to assert that that same Respect Policy does not have the confidence of the staff it is intended to protect, and that the new independent procedure must be immediately expanded to avoid a two-tier system.”
Lucas added the positive work to tackle abuse and harassment in Westminster “risks being undermined if we continue to
allow sanctions to be determined by a committee on which MPs effectively hold all the power”, as she called for an independent body to deal with the whole process, including sanctions.
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