A quickly growing sex scandal is hitting the Conservative party and raising questions of why PM Theresa May has not dealt with it.
Waves from the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal crested across the Atlantic and crashed through the hallowed halls of British democracy this past weekend, with multiple members of Parliament facing accusations of sexual misconduct by legislative staffers. ...
The scandal started in earnest last week, when The Sun newspaper reported that female researchers, secretaries, and aides employed by MPs had formed a Whatsapp texting group to share horror stories about sexual misconduct by legislators. One MP was deemed “not safe in taxis,” while another was characterized as “very handsy.” ....
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the issue was “very serious.” “Where there is an unequal power relationship in the workplace and women become vulnerable as a result of it, they have to be supported, they have to be protected,” he said.
The Sun omitted the names of the MPs being accused of sexual misconduct but suggested that—in the wake of the #MeToo campaign urging women to share their stories—the lawmakers’ identities would emerge in coming days. ...
The scandal escalated even further on Monday when The Times of London reported that a group of current and former parliamentary researchers—men and women alike—had compiled a spreadsheet titled ‘High libido MPs’ that listed unverified offenses by 37 Conservative male and female MPs, including 15 Cabinet members. (The Times also reported that four Labour MP have been accused of harassing young women.) The dossier includes claims that two Conservative lawmakers used the services of prostitutes, accusations that a female MP had extramarital sex with a young male researcher, and allegations that two MPs got their mistresses pregnant. Twenty-five MPs are accused of treating female researchers inappropriately.
http://fortune.com/2017/10/30/uk-parliament-sexual-harassment-scandal/