Female staff at Westminster are naming and shaming sex pest MPs on a secret WhatsApp group, it has been revealed.
Cabinet members are believed to be among a list of politicians branded ‘not safe’ in taxis and lifts or ‘very handsy’ by aides and researchers.
A source claimed the scandal could see MPs and other parliamentary personnel outed by the weekend and that resignations are ‘anticipated’ as a result.
While the ‘usual suspects’ are said to be well-known by those in Westminster, the list was recently drawn up to bring new recruits up to scratch on ‘younger names’.
Female staff at Westminster are naming and shaming sex pest MPs on a secret WhatsApp group, it has been revealed
While the ‘usual suspects’ are said to be well-known by those in Westminster, the list was recently drawn up to bring new recruits up to scratch on ‘younger names’
A member of the group told The Sun: ‘The usual old suspects are there but there have been some surprising younger names crop up.”
Another told the paper women working in parliament actively protected each other from overly-keen politicians.
They said: ‘For years we have all looked out for each other. It’s like, “So-and-so is hiring, but it can’t be a woman for him”.’
Some of the more incredible allegations include stories of MPs enjoying sex sessions with staff inside parliamentary offices.
Other bosses in Westminster allegedly called female staff members ‘sugar t**s’ and asked for affairs.
It is also claimed that a Labour MP referred to as the ‘disco king’ groped a woman during a trip abroad while a Tory grandee was banned from hiring ‘leggy’ women.
Party whips are said to patrol Westminster’s bars and terraces to keep an eye on misbehaving MPs.
One Tory peer, Baroness Jenkin, revealed that a fellow MP once stroked her neck as she spoke of how ‘men used to hit on you all the time’ when she began her career.
Meanwhile, Tory MP Theresa Villiers told of how she had to fend off ‘groping’ hands at a Conservative party function in the 1990s.
A Commons spokesman said: ‘The House of Commons takes the welfare of everyone who works in Parliament very seriously.
Therea Villiers MP and Tory peer Baroness Jenkin have both previously spoken out on the behaviour of colleagues
‘A free confidential helpline is provided by the House and available 24/7 for all Members’ staff.”
A Conservative spokesman said: ‘If a serious allegation is raised we would immediately advise the individual to contact the police. We take all allegations incredibly seriously.
The revelation comes after the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the resulting #MeToo campaign, in which women were encouraged to speak out on sexual harassment.
The disgraced Hollywood mogul is now facing multiple accusations of sexual assault from more than 40 woman including actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.
This week the European Parliament has been accused of covering up rape claims after staff said complaints about being attacked had been ignored.
Four women described as parliamentary workers have claimed they lodged complaints, which include two cases of rape by colleagues.
But one, who claims she was raped by another member of staff in 2016, said she was ‘actively discouraged from going to the police’.
The revelations emerged as MEPs in Strasbourg debated ways to put an end to all forms of sexual harassment, with some even sharing their own experiences.
Some of the more incredible allegations include stories of MPs enjoying sex sessions with staff inside parliamentary offices