Sir David Natzler announces he is retiring next year in wake of Westminster bullying scandal

Parliament’s most senior official has today announced that he is retiring in the wake of the bullying and sex harassment scandals which have rocked Westminster.

Sir David Natzler, the clerk of the House of Commons, will step down in March next year after 43 years in Parliament.

Commons Speaker John Bercow made the announcement in the Chamber today and stressed that Sir David’s departure is a ‘long planned retirement’.

It comes just weeks after Dame Laura Cox published her damning report exposing the bullying and sexual harassment inflicted in Parliament over many years.

Dame Laura said a string of male MPs past and present have allegedly lunged, groped and propositioned women.

And she lashed the ‘institutional failings’ in the Commons and warned a culture of ‘deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence’ exists in Parliament.

Sir David Natzler, the clerk of the House of Commons, (pictured in Parliament today) will step down in March next year after 43 years in Parliament

Commons Speaker John Bercow (pictured in Parliament today) made the announcement in the Chamber today and stressed that Sir David’s departure is a ‘long planned retirement’

Tory MP James Duddridge said: ‘Bercow must follow Natzler in resigning. He is part of the problem and not part of a future that deals with bullying in the way any other business would.

‘The fact Bercow does not get it demonstrates the problem. Speakers House needs to be renamed Ivory Towers. He is remote and isolated from reality.’

In a retirement letter read out in the Commons this afternoon, Sir David admitted it has been a ‘turbulent’ time in Parliament.

And he addressed the sexual harassment scandal head on – calling for those in Parliament to treat each other with more respect in order to tackle it.

What are the claims of bullying and bad behaviour made against John Bercow?

John Bercow has been hit by a number of bullying claims, all of which he denies. Here are the allegations:

Andrew Sinclair, the former Speaker’s Secretary:

Said he left his post in 2010 after he was subjected to angry outbursts, foul- mouthed tirades and mimicry by John Bercow.

He said was ‘gagged’ and stopped from speaking out about his time in the role as part of an £86,000 early retirement payoff.

David Leakey, former Black Rod:

Mr Leakey, who retired last year, said staff were ‘terrified’ of the Speaker.

Kate Emms, John Bercow’s former private secretary:

She took a job as Mr Bercow’s private secretary in May 2010 but left her role less than a year later in February 2011 amid claims she was bullied by the Speaker.

Her colleagues alleged that this was because of the behaviour of Mr Bercow after she told staff that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Colleagues told Newsnight that she was undermined by Mr Bercow in a range of ways – and he seemed to shout at her a lot.

In his letter, read out by Mr Bercow, he said: ‘It has been a turbulent four years cover three governments, two general elections and two referendums.

‘The murders of Jo Cox MP and PC (Keith) Palmer, threats to our physical and cyber security and the ebb an flow of launching restoration and renewal….

‘And it hardly needs saying that there may be more turbulence over the next few weeks and months.

‘The last 12 months have also seen of course the surfacing in various ways of the complex issue of bullying and harassment and sexual misconduct in the parliamentary community.

‘I am confident that we can deal with it if we all acknowledge past failings, as I readily do, and move beyond concerns about process to reach a place where, quite simply, everybody in the community treats everybody else with respect and dignity.

‘And where they do not, they are called out and, if necessary, sanction.

‘It has been a privilege, if not always a positive pleasure to do this job, and the other 14 jobs I have done here.’

He paid tribute to the support and friendship of MPs and the staff in the Commons.

Politicians flouted parliamentary convention to applaud the outgoing clerk after his letter was read out in the Chamber.

But his departure will spark questions over if he has been forced out, and if so why Mr Bercow is not going.

The Speaker has been hit by a string of bullying allegations by staff who have worked with him over the years – but he strongly denies them.

Mr Bercow paid tribute to Sir David, hailing his ‘outstanding service’.

He said: ‘Sir David held a number of senior appointments within the House of Commons’ Chamber and Committee Services before being appointed Clerk of the House in 2015 – acting as principal constitutional adviser to the House of Commons.

‘Sir David has vast experience and expertise and has served this House without interruption since 1975 – and his support and advice for me, for my deputies, for Members, and the government, on Parliamentary procedure and business, has been unswerving.

‘I have known this day was coming for over a year – so it is with some sadness I announced its arrival today.

‘For me personally, Sir David has been a loyal colleague and friend – and I know his calm and good-humoured presence will be sorely missed by us all.’

Report finds that ‘boorish’ male MPs groped and propositioned women

‘Boorish’ male MPs groped, lunged and propositioned women in Parliament, a damning report into the sexminster scandal has today revealed.

Dame Laura Cox said many MPs will be ‘horrified’ at the conduct of their colleagues.

Some male politicians were guilty of ‘predatory’ behaviour, the judge said.

Women who worked in Westminster complained that male MPs had touched their bottoms and breasts, patted their heads and had been abused in ‘vulgar gender-related terms’.

Dame Laura said: ‘The most serious allegations related to the alleged ‘predatory’ conduct of a few individuals, but overall the allegations indicate that sexual harassment has been a more widespread problem, and it crosses the political sphere.

‘All of the allegations were made against men. Some are no longer in the House but others continue to serve as elected Members.’

Some male MPs were so well known for their lewd advances that women were privately warned never to be in a room alone with them, the report said.

She added: ‘There were reports too of groups of male MPs becoming increasingly boorish on occasions when they were together, of frequent sexual innuendos, lewd comments or sexual gestures, or women repeatedly being asked questions about their sex lives, or about their personal lives generally, which they found offensive and humiliating.’

Dame Laura added: ‘Some men who came forward spoke of witnessing ‘some atrocious treatment of young women by MPs,’ and of ‘some women being treated as their personal servants, with veiled threats to have them moved if they failed to comply with requests.’

‘Some men also spoke of their shame, looking back now, that they had stayed silent at the time when such incidents occurred, and that they had not done more to help.’

Parliament was dominated by a ‘macho’ culture which saw some male employees – including some ‘serial predators’ – also target women.

The report states: ‘Young women graduates in their first job have been particularly shocked and upset by such treatment when ‘running the gauntlet’ in this way.’

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