Bullying claims in parliament soared by 40% last year, watchdog reveals

Independent

5 hours ago

Bullying claims in parliament have soared by 40 per cent as a growing number of MPs are accused of misconduct.
Parliament 's bullying and harassment watchdog said there was a sharp rise in complaints in the year to April, even as parliament broke for the general election.
In its annual report, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) said it had investigated 69 cases in the year, up from 47 the previous year.
The cases related to 50 disclosures from parliamentary staff, with some relating to multiple individuals. It cost almost £2m to investigate the cases.
Almost all of the complaints were of bullying and harassment, with three relating to sexual misconduct including assault, harassment, stalking and voyeurism, the ICGS said.
Most were withdrawn, found to be out of scope, or not completed before the period covered by the annual report, with four of the complaints upheld.
The presence of alcohol in parliament was 'a factor in almost one out of every five complaints investigated' and was 'notably prevalent' in sexual misconduct cases, the report said.
ICGS director Thea Walton said: 'During the reporting period, we experienced a notable increase in the number of people contacting the ICGS.
'Unfortunately, this increase, the complexity of cases and the introduction of new processes and ways of working has contributed to longer timescales for completing cases.'
The ICGS blamed some of the bullying cases on an imbalance of power in the workplace, with some senior figures abusing their authority by publicly humiliating staff or being 'openly critical and dismissive' of them.
'This behaviour caused complainants to feel insecure about their job stability and created an intimidating work environment,' it said.
It added: 'It was alleged that managers assigned tasks that were excessively challenging or impossible to complete within the given timeframe, making the complainants feel as though they were being set up to fail.'
The body was formed in 2018 in the wake of the # MeToo movement in a bid to tackle sexual misconduct among MPs.
It has been criticised for the speed at which it carries out investigations into complaints, with some lasting longer than 12 months and being referred to multiple bodies.
Ms Walton added: 'Over the next 12 months, the team will be working hard to reduce these timescales while bedding in our new processes and continuing to deliver a high-quality service for the parliamentary community.
'I am encouraged to see that awareness of the ICGS remains high across Parliament and more people are coming forward to use the scheme to seek redress when they feel they have experienced poor behaviour.'