A cabinet minister and a high-ranking aide at No 10 Downing Street continued to work in Boris Johnson’s government despite allegations of sexual misconduct against them, according to reports.
Two women have given first-hand accounts of what they claim happened to them when one was assaulted and the other groped by political figures, both now in senior roles.
A former parliamentary staff member for the Conservative party, who wished to remain anonymous, relayed details of a sexual assault by an MP who is currently a cabinet minister.
She told Sky News’s The Open Secret podcast: “I was sexually assaulted by someone who’s now a cabinet minister, and I was in my early 20s and didn’t really know how to deal with it. I was super drunk. He’s feeding me more wine and I’m already quite obviously tanked.
“After a while, I was like ‘you know, what, would you mind if I just went to bed?’ So I went to bed. But obviously he didn’t leave me alone. And then I woke up the next morning and I realised what had happened.”
She told colleagues, and the MP she was working for at the time of the incident who encouraged her to report it to the police. But after initial discussions with the police she chose not to proceed further and did not make a formal complaint to the Conservative party. She said: “I was too scared to kickstart that process and risk it spiralling out of control.”
A Conservative party spokesperson said: “We have an established code of conduct and complaints procedure where people can report complaints in confidence. We take any complaint seriously.
“If an allegation of criminal wrongdoing is raised, we would always advise the individual to contact the police.”
A former Conservative aide has also claimed that she was groped by a senior No 10 employee before his appointment to a top job in Downing Street.
The woman, who was working at No 10 when she says the incident happened, made multiple complaints about the man’s appointment but he remained in the role. She said: “I heard that he was going to get a job in Downing Street. I raised it with a number of people. Nothing happened. So I then formally complained to the Cabinet Office. I just felt the responsibility to do it again, partly because the office he’s going to be working in is full of women. And I just thought he’d do it again.”
She also alleged that on hearing of the allegation, the man’s boss dismissed it on the grounds that the accused person was “good looking and had women throwing themselves at him”.
Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, was among numerous people spoken to by Sky who suggested that making complaints could hinder job prospects. She said: “In order to survive in Westminster you do have to rely on that whisper network. Ultimately. It’s never going to be 100% effective. You know, some of the most dangerous people are probably the last people that you’d ever suspect.”
Nichols also recounted her own experience of inappropriate behaviour from a senior MP. “I have been repeatedly propositioned by an MP who is old enough to be my grandfather and sometimes in front of other colleagues who have either laughed it off or said nothing when he’s done it.
“I know from speaking to other people that, you know, this is not uncommon behaviour for him … It’s something that he clearly feels emboldened to do, that he feels entitled to do.”
A government spokesperson said: “We take allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and there are robust procedures in place to raise concerns. All ministerial appointments also follow established processes.”
Regarding the second allegation, they said: “All prospective government employees are subject to necessary checks and vetting. We do not comment on individuals.”
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Guardian
