MPs and peers who are the subject of complaints of bullying or sexual harassment will be granted anonymity during any investigation to protect them against malicious accusations.

Proposals for a parliament-wide behaviour code, complaints procedure and confidential hotline published yesterday by Andrea Leadsom, the Commons leader, received a cautious welcome. The guarantee of anonymity has been criticised by some campaigners, however.

A report into the new code by a cross-party group set up after revelations of abusive behaviour said that politicians should get more protection because of the increased risk to their reputations from false accusations. “Parliamentarians are under a constant media spotlight and that, due to the nature of political discourse, there is a risk of malicious and/or vexatious complaints against those who work