HAVING one MP accused of misconduct during a parliamentary term might be considered bad luck.

A parliament that has shown itself to be stuffed full of sexual predators, bullies and cheats is indicative of something far more pervasive.

The over-representation of deviants and dodgy characters in Westminster is a damning indictment on the toxic culture of our politics, and it exposes the apparent tolerance political parties seem to have for bad behaviour.

The problem has got so bad that Mastermind could curate a specialist subject round on the topic of MPs who were suspended, forced to resign or were subject to a standards investigation since 2019 – and they’d find they weren’t short of material to work with.

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Last week, Parliament’s behaviour watchdog published its findings into accusations against Conservative MP Peter Bone (below). Its investigation upheld five accusations of bullying against a male former staffer and found that Bone broke sexual misconduct rules by exposing himself to the same man while on an oversees trip.

The National: Tory MP Peter Bone has been recommended for a six-week suspension from the Commons after being found to have committed bullying and sexual misconduct against a staff member (PA)

Since the report was published, Bone has had the Conservative whip withdrawn, meaning he will now sit as an independent MP. He denied the allegations throughout the lengthy process and appealed its findings. His appeal was dismissed and after the watchdog released its final report last week. Bone said the allegations were “false and untrue”.

The report recommended that the Wellingborough MP be suspended from parliament for a period of six weeks. If approved by the House of Commons, that suspension would trigger a recall petition in Bone’s constituency which could result in yet another by-election.

Much has been made of the fact that the behaviour described in the report happened 10 years ago. As though a protracted period of time where a bully goes unpunished is somehow a valid argument in his defence.

But the fault for the investigation taking so long to conclude lies squarely with the Conservative Party and its conveniently slow process for dealing with complaints, not the victim. A 2017 complaint to then-prime minister Theresa May went unresolved, necessitating a 2021 complaint to the standards watchdog and subsequent 2022 investigation.

The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) described Bone’s behaviour as “a serious case of misconduct”. The report says the bullying “involved violence, shouting and swearing, mocking, belittling and humiliating behaviour and ostracism”.

It is worth reading the report in full. It raises serious questions about the Conservative Party’s handling of this case and its failure to investigate allegations in a timely manner.

Some of the details are harrowing. And, despite the furious denials and claims from Bone that the process was flawed, it is worth remembering that IEP said it found the complainer’s evidence to be “credible, nuanced and plausible”.

That evidence shows Bone “repeatedly physically struck and threw things” at the former Westminster staffer. He hit him with his hand as well as various objects. It also found he “repeatedly pressurised” the staffer to give him a massage in the office.

The incident of indecent exposure happened during a work trip to Madrid, where Bone had taken the unusual decision to book one hotel room for himself and the complainant.

When the complainant separated the twin beds, Bone became angry and, shortly afterwards, engineered a situation where the complainant was “confronted by his penis at very close quarters”.

The puerile jokes about this particular incident that we’ve seen on social media since the report was published would have only compounded the distress of the former staffer who endured it.

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The report says there has been a “long-lasting, negative impact on his life” and he has suffered continuing anxiety as a result of the way he was treated. Not only did he give up his job working for Bone – he left politics entirely. The report rightly speaks about the abuse of power perpetrated by Bone against his former staffer. That imbalance of power underpins so many of the incidents of bullying and sexual misconduct we see at Westminster.

Reforms to the complaints process were a welcome step in making it easier for victims to come forward. But there also needs to be a real focus on the culture that makes MPs feel they can mistreat junior colleagues and staffers with impunity.

Workplace practices in Westminster should be designed to ensure the safety and dignity of staff. They shouldn’t be a glorified clean-up operation. It shouldn’t take years for complaints to be investigated by political parties or standards watchdogs.

Too often, people feel like they are left with no option but to leave Westminster. They remove themselves from a toxic situation while the perpetrators remain where they are: a place where they have considerable power and influence.

Until that fundamental power imbalance is addressed, real change isn’t possible.