Female Labour staff are said to be fearful of using the party’s official complaints process, prompting concern among senior officials as a long-serving MP is suspended over allegations of sexual harassment.
Labour figures have acknowledged the “genuine concerns” of female colleagues, and have issued a “cast-iron commitment” to take any action necessary that will restore faith in the party’s processes.
In one email to all party staff, Labour’s general secretary, David Evans, insisted Labour took sexual harassment and abuse claims seriously, saying “we take action in response to every complaint reported” and urging anyone with a complaint to come forward.
Evans said in another email seen by the Guardian: “I know that … recent news stories have caused some of you to question our processes and the commitment we have to change the culture of our party and our politics more widely.” He offered a “cast iron commitment” to take action, insisting it was “everyone’s responsibility to report and challenge unacceptable behaviour, not just those who have experienced it directly”.
Sexual harassment complaints made via Labour’s internal system are referred to an independent investigator with expertise and training in sexual harassment cases and equalities law, Evans said. The party has also launched a panel of “specially trained members” for sexual harassment complaints.
But a senior Labour official stressed the party would not feel confident in its systems until the number of sexual harassment complaints “shoots up”, indicating people felt confident in the process.
The general secretary said he had been working with a taskforce of the party’s senior leadership over the last two weeks to review the formal processes for complaints to take place.
Geraint Davies, the MP for Swansea West, had the Labour whip suspended on Thursday after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced from five women, stretching back several years.
Davies has been accused of subjecting young women to unwanted sexual attention, both verbal and physical, and a formal complaint has been made against him, according to the news website Politico. The 63-year-old MP has said he does not recognise the allegations, nor does he know who has made them.
A senior Labour MP told the Guardian that insiders had been aware of allegations about Davies’s behaviour, but that it had been difficult to address them in the absence of a formal complaint. Labour has described the claims of “completely unacceptable behaviour” made against Davies as “incredibly serious”.
Two weeks ago, Labour staffers and MPs were concerned following reports the party had taken three years to investigate an allegation of sexual harassment made by a woman against a senior aide. The man, 20 years the complainant’s senior, was allowed to continue advising a Labour frontbencher even though the complaint was upheld. He has since resigned from his role.
A separate report revealed a female MP was reluctant to use Labour’s internal complaints system – despite being encouraged to do so – because she feared the popularity of the person she wished to report would mean the case would go nowhere. Instead, she reported the incident to the Metropolitan police, though Scotland Yard dropped the matter at her request.
Party officials are understood to have faced pressure from MPs and others, including national executive committee members, who have raised concerns over the impression that Labour does not handle sexual harassment complaints properly.
Senior Labour figures held two meetings before parliamentary recess with staff to allay their fears, with more expected in the coming weeks, the Guardian understands. Insiders praised Evans’s efforts during the talks, though another questioned why officials were encouraging staff to speak to their line managers, who work within the party.
A Labour source said senior staff were worried about the perception that the party had a problem with women and was scrambling to make it look like its processes were somehow greatly improved, even though no substantial changes had been made to them in the last few years.
They told the Guardian many staff had expressed their fears over using the complaints system because the party had developed a perception of protecting powerful male harassers recently.
Another insider said the party had appeared to side with the male adviser who had groped an intern. They said: “Staff have seen the reports about the party’s attempts to use effective NDAs to silence women employees, and claims revealing the lengths the party may be prepared to go to in protecting men and showing us the repercussions we could face for complaining about them.
“If a Labour MP believes her career will suffer if she speaks out about a frontbench MP sexually assaulting her, why would Labour staffers, especially junior ones, trust that they can make complaints without facing reprisals?”
Last year, Labour was criticised after it emerged two former Labour staff had been asked to sign confidentiality agreements after making complaints of sexual harassment about a senior official.
