Westminster’s independent complaints system is designed to protect MPs and the reputation of parliament rather than victims of harassment and misconduct, a staff member bullied by a Labour MP has said.
Former minister Liam Byrne was this week found guilty of a “serious breach” of parliamentary conduct policies after an investigation found he bullied David Barker, a worker in his constituency office, by ostracising him for several months and denying him access to his parliamentary IT account.
Mr Byrne was suspended for just two days and it has since emerged that the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), which was set up in the wake of the #MeToo scandal, failed to protect the anonymity of witnesses in the case. This was despite, it is alleged, claiming it would do so.
Mr Barker told i he was “incredibly upset” to learn of the blunder and that it had damaged confidence in the complaints system, which he said needed an urgent overhaul because staff no longer felt “safe” to report MPs.
Other Labour party staffers who were witnesses in the case are preparing legal action against the ICGS. Before the action, a House of Commons spokesperson apologised on behalf of the scheme that witnesses had been incorrectly told their contributions would be confidential. This evening the Commons was unable to comment on the matter pending the legal action.
Politico reported that during the investigation, Mr Byrne, who was Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Gordon Brown’s ...
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