Labour leader urges anyone with complaints to tell their party organisations, Commons authorities or police

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A “warped and degrading culture” of sexual harassment and abuse exists and thrives in Westminster, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

In a speech to members of the Unite union in Scotland, the Labour leader urged anyone who has experienced harassment or abuse to come forward.

He said any MPs who have engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour must be held to account for their actions.

Senior MPs have raised complaints that allegations of sexual harassment are still not being taken seriously enough by their parties and whips despite years of warnings.

That sound? It’s Westminster’s sex pests rehearsing their excuses | Marina Hyde Read more

MPs made their fears known to their parties after the Labour MP Jared O’Mara was suspended over allegations of misogynistic abuse, and parliamentary staff were reported to have aired allegations of sexual harassment and assault on a private WhatsApp group.

The decision by women in Westminster to share information comes in a new atmosphere of open revulsion at sexual misconduct following the allegations of assault and rape against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

“Sexual abuse and abusive treatment of women by men is not confined to any one industry, workplace or institution,” Corbyn said in Aviemore.

“It is rooted in unequal power relationships that treat women as subordinate to men, and a culture where the abuse of women has often been accepted and normalised.

“The problem doesn’t stop with those who make unwanted advances on women, it extends to a culture that has tolerated abuse for far too long.

“It’s a warped and degrading culture that also exists and thrives in the corridors of power, including in Westminster.”

The Labour leader urged anyone with complaints to come forward to their party organisations, the Commons authorities or police.

The Guardian has been made aware of a number of complaints against MPs and other senior figures that have not yet been made public, including:



#MeToo is here to stay. We must challenge all men about sexual harassment Read more

Allegations about inappropriate sexual behaviour by a Conservative former minister.



A Labour MP described as “incredibly predatory”.



A backbencher accused of inappropriate behaviour on a trip abroad this year.



An MP who allegedly left a parliamentary delegation after allegations about their conduct.



Both Corbyn and the prime minister, Theresa May, called on Friday for any staff members who had experienced sexual harassment or abuse to contact the House of Commons authorities or police to make formal reports.

Corbyn also said Labour was undergoing a “rebirth” in its former Scottish heartlands following the party’s drubbing in the 2015 general election that left it with just one seat in Westminster.

“Labour is once again a force for change in Scotland,” he said. “We’ve been written off time and again, but we showed that it is our party that is capturing the mood both in Scotland and across the UK.”



He highlighted the government’s recent climbdown over charges of up to 55p a minute to call a universal credit helpline as an example of the difference Labour was making.