A series of allegations concerning the involvement of British politicians in cases of sexual harassment and assault arose in October and November 2017. Allegations were prompted by discussions among junior staff employed in the UK Parliament at Westminster following the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations in Hollywood earlier in October, and the subsequent rise of the #MeToo movement, [1] [2] [3] but spread further to cover all the major political parties, including political figures beyond Westminster.
Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, asking for his assistance in establishing a "house-wide mediation service" supported by a "contractually binding grievance procedure" that would be available for all MPs. May also stated that current House of Commons disciplinary procedures required urgent reform, for they lacked "teeth". [4]
A spreadsheet that alleged various sexual improprieties by Conservative MPs – listed alongside consensual acts – was published in a redacted form by Guido Fawkes on 30 October 2017. It detailed complaints against 36 individual MPs; the complaints were said to have been compiled by aides working for the parliamentarians concerned. [5] The BBC's then-political editor Laura Kuenssberg described the list as containing "both a mixture of unsavoury allegations, reports of well-known relationships, and some claims that are furiously denied. There is just no way of knowing frankly, how much of it is true". [6]
In February 2020, historical allegations were examined in a report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which claimed that both MPs and the police had turned a blind eye for years. [7]
On 6 November 2017, a meeting took place between leaders of the political parties at Westminster. Theresa May proposed that a new system be set up for Westminster employees, with a hotline for abuse to be reported, and an independent grievance process. Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable described the proposals as "the right first cross-party steps", and Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said that the meeting had been "broadly constructive and helpful" but that "we did not get into much of the detail". [39]
Kelvin Peter Hopkins is a British politician. He was first elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Luton North in 1997. Hopkins was suspended by the Labour Party in 2017 after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him in the 2017 Westminster sexual misconduct allegations. Hopkins did not stand for re-election in the 2019 general election.
Damian Howard Green is a British politician who served as First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office from June to December 2017 in the second May government. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashford from 1997 to 2024.
Sir Michael Cathel Fallon is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2014 to 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Sevenoaks from 1997 to 2019, having previously served as MP for Darlington from 1983 to 1992.
Carl Sargeant was a Welsh politician who was the Cabinet secretaries and ministers Secretary for Communities and Children in the Welsh Government. He represented the constituency of Alyn and Deeside in the National Assembly for Wales from 2003.
Charles Brett Anthony Elphicke is a British former politician and a convicted sex offender. As a member of the Conservative Party and later an independent, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover from 2010 to 2019.
Simon Christopher Danczuk is a British author and former Member of Parliament (MP) who represented the constituency of Rochdale between 2010 and 2017. Elected as a member of the Labour Party, he was suspended from the party in 2015 after it emerged he had exchanged explicit messages with a 17-year-old girl. He has co-written two books, Smile for the Camera: The Double Life of Cyril Smith and Scandal at Dolphin Square. He was the Reform UK candidate in the 2024 Rochdale by-election, which was later won by Workers Party of Britain leader George Galloway. He came sixth behind Liberal Democrats, Labour, Conservatives and Independent candidate David Tully.
Andrew James Griffiths is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Burton from 2010 to 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he was succeeded by his estranged wife, Kate Griffiths.
Christopher John Pincher is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth from 2010 until his resignation in 2023.
A dossier on paedophiles allegedly associated with the British government was assembled by the British Member of Parliament Geoffrey Dickens, who handed it to the then-Home Secretary, Leon Brittan, in 1984. The whereabouts of the dossier is unknown, along with other files on organised child abuse that had been held by the Home Office.
Ian Blackford is a Scottish politician and investment banker who served as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the House of Commons from 2017 to 2022. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ross, Skye and Lochaber from 2015 to 2024.
Neil Alan John Coyle is a British Labour politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bermondsey and Old Southwark since 2015.
Jared Cain O'Mara is a British convicted fraudster and former Labour politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Hallam from 2017 to 2019.
Natalie Cecilia Elphicke is a former British politician and finance lawyer. Elected for the Conservative Party at the 2019 general election, she succeeded her now ex-husband Charlie Elphicke as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover after he was charged with sexual assault. She defected to the Labour Party on 8 May 2024, shortly before standing down at the 2024 general election.
The Weinstein effect is a trend in which famous or powerful figures - previously thought to be immune from most consequences due to their fame - are later accused of sexual abuse, harassment, or misconduct. The term Weinstein effect came into use in October 2017, when media outlets began reporting on alleged sexual abuse perpetrated by film producer Harvey Weinstein.
The Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints was a Committee of the Scottish Parliament set up to investigate the Alex Salmond sexual harassment scandal, in which the Scottish Government breached its own guidelines in its original investigation into claims of sexual harassment by former First Minister Alex Salmond. This led to the loss of a judicial review into their actions and damages of over £500,000 of public money being paid to Salmond. The Committee met from 2020 to 2021 and published its final report on 23 March 2021. Prior to publication, it leaked that the Committee concluded that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon misled them in her evidence.
The Chris Pincher scandal was a political controversy in the United Kingdom related to allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by the former Conservative Party Deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher. In early July 2022, allegations of Pincher's misconduct emerged, including allegations that pre-dated his appointment as Deputy Chief Whip.
The 2022 Scottish National Party (SNP) Westminster leadership election was held to choose the leader of the SNP in the House of Commons, following the resignation of Ian Blackford on 1 December 2022. Stephen Flynn and Alison Thewliss were the two MPs who ran in the election. Flynn was elected by 26 votes to 17.