Formal complaint submitted to Labour over suspended MP Geraint Davies
Labour has received a formal complaint over the conduct of MP Geraint Davies, who has been suspended by the party pending an investigation into reports of “incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour”.
A woman has submitted the complaint, according to the website Politico, which earlier reported that five other women had made sexual harassment claims against the veteran politician.
The decision to administratively suspend the Swansea West MP means he will have the whip removed in Westminster while a review is carried out.
Politico reported that two younger female MPs had claimed Mr Davies, who has served in Parliament for 21 years over two spells, touched them without their consent.
The website said it had spoken to more than 20 serving MPs and Labour staff who described allegations of inappropriate behaviour stretching back at least five years.
It reported that the behaviour was directed exclusively at younger women in Westminster.
A Labour spokeswoman said: “These are incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour.
“We strongly encourage anyone with a complaint to come forward to the Labour Party’s investigation.
“Any complainant will have access to an independent support service who provide confidential and independent guidance and advice from external experts throughout the process.”
Labour is currently carrying out its own investigation into the claims made against Mr Davies.
Daniel Greenberg, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, could also decide to open his own inquiry if he suspects the code of conduct for MPs may have been breached.
Boasted
Labour is also reviewing the formal processes for complaints to be made, the party’s general secretary David Evans said in an email to staff.
Mr Davies is also facing allegations that he “boasted” about bringing sex workers into Parliament for drinks.
Sky News, which reported the claims, cited an unnamed Labour MP who alleged that Mr Davies “would openly boast about bringing escorts and prostitutes onto the terrace and show them off”.
It is the latest set of claims made in what has been termed the “Pestminster scandal”, in which allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour have been made against MPs or other senior figures in Parliament in recent years.
In 2021, Parliament’s watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel (IEP), found that former Hartlepool Labour MP Mike Hill committed two breaches of Parliament’s sexual misconduct rules in relation to his behaviour towards a woman in both his parliamentary office and his flat.
Mr Hill resigned as an MP before the panel could impose a sanction for his behaviour.
Former City of Chester Labour MP Christian Matheson quit in October after a report by the watchdog upheld complaints of “serious sexual misconduct”.
While Boris Johnson faced pressure due to the lockdown partygate scandal, it was Conservative complaints about his handling of assault allegations against former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher that led to his premiership collapsing last year.
Neil Parish, the former Tory MP for Tiverton and Honiton, sparked a by-election after admitting in April 2022 to watching pornography while in the House of Commons.
Misconduct
Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said Labour’s whips are “very alive” to the issue of sexual misconduct in Westminster.
He told Times Radio: “The key thing is that, when something like this happens, a formal complaint must be made.
“And I do genuinely believe that our whips and our party is very alive to this issue.
“People get suspended, they lose the whip, investigations take place.
“I think we need to make that happen as rapidly and effectively as possible and make sure that anyone who does feel that they have a complaint to make that they know that they can do so in confidence, and that they will be treated with respect and confidentiality and with action will be taken.”
Mr Davies has been contacted for comment.
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What is it with politicians who abuse their position by acting inappropriately towards their staff? And why is it when they are exposed as bullies, sexual pests and fraudsters cannot recall them as MSs & MPs and get rid of them until the next Senedd & General Election? If I acted in a similar fashion would be sacked from my job and the matter reported and delt with by the police. It seems it’s one rule for politicians and another for the rest of us. I find power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Never a truer sentence spoken. Pity… Read more »
I agree why are the Police not involved inappropriate touching is an Indecent assault and should not be dealt with internally by the various parties.
To paraphrase Admiral Beatty’s comment on the performance of the home fleet at Jutland…
“There appears to be something wrong with our bloody politicians today”…
And the media, and unfortunately, the public in general. I’m certain there are terrible abuses of power occurring, just as I’m sure that the public clamour for drama and a will to don the cloak of virtue ensures that miscarriages of justice are occurring. Read the Politico article, look at the evidentiary points with an objective eye and see what you conclude. Even then, the opaque nature of all this should necessitate that we hold fire on judgment of any given ‘scandal’, but the opposite seems to occur. Bloodlust and virtue p*rn are a hell of a pair of drugs,with… Read more »
For me the cumulative effect through the generations of lead in petrol has been my leitmotiv for several years now…
I’ll do as you suggest and get back to you…
And the new refrain (with a good deal more to it, perhaps)
“Scrrreeeeens, oh screeeeens. Algorithms and screeeeens”
If it is long Germanic sentences, heavy with every point punctuated by capitalised nouns (popular on here) I must disappoint. It would not scan…
To list all guilty actors in the play in every line would be too heavy to lift…
TBC dinner bell and cook hates to be kept waiting…
Read it just now, shocking !
The place needs a modern day George Booth and Thomas Cook, the Sally Army and the Temperance 7 ( my old long dead pater knew the saxophonist Cephus Howard or C for Sour as he used to call him) to shut all those bars, I can’t believe he was allowed to carry on for so long…
If the refrain you mention is referring to is the damage done over generations by lead poisoning to the brain and the resulting detrimental effect on human behaviour I will dig up some studies done over the years…
He maybe played the trumpet and for general interest his name, Cephus, was the Aramaic name for Saint Peter and meant rock/stone. He became the rock that the ‘church was built upon’…
Sanctimonious Labour needs to get its own house in order. Riddled with perverts and chancers looking to top up their excellent salaries. No better than the Tory party.
Place your bets now for an all female slate at the inevitable Swansea West by-election.
Will Labour encourage a bloke in a frock to be nominated? or, is that Plaid’s reserved area?
They share it with the Clergy I believe…
Wrth gwrs ! Boys with filthy habits !
Neoliberal Centrism has Corrupted the Labour Party since Blairs Day, ans Starmer is Dishonest as they come!
I wonder whether we’ll see Labour’s problems with sexism and misogyny get the same attention from the Welsh Media as we’ve seen concerning Plaid’s difficulties with the issue? Something tells me it won’t!! 😠
I am wondering about that.
The problem lies in all political parties as well as elsewhere.
There must always be a independent complaints procedure where victims know their complaints will be respected and investigated without prejudice.
Who could possibly think that such a handsome chap would stoop to such behaviour?!!
Form queue here….
Handsome? Mae o fel y llipryn llwyd.