Commons staff demand action after hard-hitting report exposes 'open secret' of bullying
3 min read
Scores of current and former House of Commons staff are demanding that MPs no longer have a say over bullying cases after the Dame Laura Cox inquiry revealed widespread abuse in Westminster.
An open letter signed by more than 80 serving and ex-staff as well as six MPs has been sent to the House of Commons Commission, calling for a major shake-up of parliament's rules on bullying and harassment.
Dame Laura's report accused parliamentary bosses of allowing a "disturbing" culture of abuse to develop in Westminster, and called for its current 'Respect' HR policy to be ditched, with historic cases opened up to scrutiny under an "entirely independent" replacement.
"The signatories of this letter have one thing in common. We have personally experienced, or seen first-hand, bullying or harassment by members of parliament go unchallenged,” the authors of the open letter say.
"Dame Laura Cox’s report has exposed Westminster’s open secret – a minority of parliamentarians have been allowed to get away with this behaviour for years."
The letter - which has been signed by Labour MPs Jess Phillips, Lisa Nandy, John Mann and Kevin Barron as well as Conservative Sarah Wollaston - demands the full implementation of the Cox recommendations, saying only a major overhaul of the rules will create "a parliament that we can be proud of".
"The commission owes a duty of care to the staff it employs," the signatories say. "Fulfilling this duty should be a matter of HR not politics."
The letter comes ahead of a crucial meeting of the House of Commons Commission on Wednesday and amid reports that staff could go on strike if parliamentary bosses duck the key recommendations of Dame Laura's report.
The Commission, which oversees HR in Parliament and is chaired by under-fire Commons Speaker John Bercow, will this week decide how to respond to the 155-page document.
Former Commons clerk Andrew Kennon - who stepped down last year after four decades working the Commons - told The Times that the victims of bullying and harassment deserved "a direct apology from the commission itself".
He added: "The many signatories of this letter and others who they represent deserve a direct apology from the commission itself. We now need deeds not just words. The commission should also set itself the objective that within one year staff surveys will show that all staff are confident to give of their best at work.”
Mr Bercow is himself facing intense pressure to step down over the findings, with Dame Laura suggesting a wide-ranging clear-out of Commons management may be needed to restore trust. He is also facing two claims of bullying, which he has vehemently denied.
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