Vince Cable has backed Theresa May’s calls for new grievance procedures in Parliament following allegations of sexual harassment of staff by MPs.
The Prime Minister set out proposed reforms in a letter to Commons Speaker John Bercow, copying in the other party leaders.
Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable said:
The Prime Minister is right to be calling for these changes.
Parliament clearly needs improved procedures to respond to allegations of harassment.
The Liberal Democrats have introduced similar changes since a review in 2013, which has proved a positive step.
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4 Comments
Sexual harassment in all sectors including politics should be stamped out. This sort of harassment has no place in modern society.
Yes. But all parties are calling for this?
Parliament exists in isolation to the normal rule of law, which allows its members to speak and act under “privilege” (for example they cannot be sued for anything they say within Parliament) but obviously this exceptional status has been abused. There needs to be wider reform of Parliament’s internal rules and procedures whilst protecting Parliamentary privilege where it is justified.
I agree, but this does not go far enough. There should be fundamental changes to the employment arrangements within parliament, and there should be far stronger action taken to challenge the misogynist culture at Parliament (eg the response when a female MP asks a question at PMQs).
And as well as supporting the proposed reforms, we should be calling for, and taking, action to ensure that all political parties actively encourage whistleblowing and put in place robust mechanisms to deal with complaints. This isn’t just about what happens in Parliament, it is also about the culture of political parties, and the lack of background checks on candidates. And if necessary we should take unilateral action.