A Labour MP is at the centre of a bullying scandal following explosive claims made by a former House of Commons clerk.

Keith Vaz allegedly told Jenny McCullough that she was bad at her job as she was ‘not a mother’ amid a stream of abuse.

Mr Vaz, who is under investigation over allegations that he hired prostitutes, denies bullying and breaking rules of the House.

Keith Vaz has been accused of bullying a House of Commons clerk (Picture: UK Parliament)

BBC Newsnight reported Ms McCullough’s claims, which were backed up by her former colleagues, who described the alleged bullying as unrelenting and personal.


Ms McCullough told Newsnight: ‘I didn’t feel able to complain about Keith Vaz because I was afraid of him. When I was on the home affairs committee I saw that he had friends in the police and friends in the law.

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‘He said that one of the principal clerks was a friend and by the time I was leaving the house he had a friend in the Speaker. I thought it could only end badly for me.’



Their relationship is said to have deteriorated during a home affairs select committee trip to Russia and Ukraine in 2008.

Mr Vaz was head of the committee, but quit in 2016 after the Sunday Mirror reported he hired prostitutes and was willing to pay for drugs.

The Leicester East MP has denied all the allegations made against him (Picture: PA)

An investigation into the Leicester East MP’s behaviour remains ongoing.

On the trip, Ms McCullough said she was concerned it broke certain House rules and protocols.

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But when she raised those concerns to Mr Vaz, he allegedly launched into a ‘tirade’ against her.

She said: ‘He then demanded to know what age I was. He told me that I didn’t know how the House worked and that I didn’t respect the authority of members – that I had an attitude problem.’

He then made the comment about her not having children, she claimed.

The behaviour is said to have continued after they returned to the UK, causing Ms McCullough to leave for another job in the House before quitting entirely.

House of Commons management was aware of Ms McCullough’s concerns, as she mentioned them in appraisals, but no one took action to help her.

A spokesman for Mr Vaz denied that he made the ‘mother’ comment, and said he was unaware of any complaints about any bullying.

The spokesman said the MP considered the pair to have a ‘good working relationship’.

The House of Commons said: ‘The House of Commons strives to be a responsive and supportive employer and we do not tolerate bullying or harassment of any kind.

‘We are aware that in the past the House has not had a robust process in place to deal with instances of bullying and harassment.

‘However, we are confident that our new Independent Complaints and Grievance Policy will mean that allegations can be dealt with effectively and sensitively.

‘In addition the House has agreed to set up a new independent inquiry looking into historical allegations of bullying and harassment, which we expect to report in six months’ time.’

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