Labour’s Charlotte Nichols says she was warned of 30 MPs to avoid when she was elected as she accuses her own party of ‘choosing not to act’ on allegations of sexual misconduct
- Charlotte Nichols spoke out about ‘underlying rotten culture at Westminster’
A Labour MP has said she was warned of 30 Members of Parliament to avoid when she was elected, as she accused her party of ‘choosing not to act’ on allegations of sexual misconduct.
Charlotte Nichols spoke out about the ‘underlying absolutely rotten culture at Westminster’ after her colleague Geraint Davies was suspended on Thursday.
The Warrington North MP told BBC Radio 4’s World At One: ‘When I first came into Parliament, literally within my first week, there was a list of names – about 30 MPs on it, people that I was told to do everything I could to make sure I wasn’t alone with, to never accept a drink from, to not get in a lift with.
‘[It was] people [whose] bad behaviour is so widely known and so little action is being taken about this, that really it’s left to individuals to try to keep themselves safe as far as possible by staying out of the orbit of these people.
‘That’s 5 per cent of MPs, near enough. There is something deeply rotten in the culture at Westminster.’
Charlotte Nichols spoke out about the ‘underlying absolutely rotten culture at Westminster’ after her colleague Geraint Davies was suspended on Thursday
Ms Nichols also took aim at Labour’s handling of allegations, and suggested the party had ‘chosen not to act’ in one case.
‘As someone who wants us to be better… when we can’t even keep our own house in order, it’s deeply upsetting both on a personal and a professional level,’ she said.
She also claimed the party was ‘shamed’ into suspending Mr Davies, the MP for Swansea West, after allegations that he subjected younger female colleagues to unwanted sexual attention were published by the Politico news website.
‘It was damage limitation from the party’s point of view. They have known about this sort of behaviour – not just from him, but from others as well – for a very long time, and they have chosen not to act,’ she said.
Mr Davies has said he does not recognise the allegations.
A Labour spokesman said: ‘We would strongly urge anyone with a complaint to come forward so… allegations can be swiftly and fully investigated and action taken.’
Ms Nichols’s comments came as three female MPs claimed they were warned about Mr Davies in their first weeks in Westminster and told to ‘watch out’ for him.
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