Prospect reacts to Commons Leader's statement on parliamentary bullying

Prospect reacts to Commons Leader's statement on parliamentary bullying on behalf of staff working in the UK Parliament

As a leading union representing staff working for the Houses of Parliament, Prospect has responded to the statement this afternoon by Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom on bullying in the UK Parliament.



Palace of Westminster after dark

The Leader of the House announced that she supports a new inquiry into bullying in the House of Parliament following allegations first raised publicly in a film broadcast by BBC Newsnight last week.

Garry Graham, Prospect deputy general secretary said:

“Recent allegations about bullying and harassment of staff in the Houses of Parliament are extremely worrying and deserve to be treated with the utmost seriousness by the parliamentary authorities.

“We welcome the suggestion of an inquiry by the Leader of the House and the commitment to revisit and strengthen the Respect policy so that staff can be confident that they will be protected from this kind of behaviour in the future.

“As part of this inquiry it is vital there is proper involvement of the trade unions that represent staff working in the Houses of Parliament and that the views of staff are taken on board. We must have the most robust procedures in the future to make sure all staff are treated with the respect they deserve.”

Prospect is available to support any members affected through their Prospect reps. Any member who does not have the relevant contact details can contact the Prospect helpdesk to be put in touch.

If you are working in Parliament and are not a member of a union yet, you can find out more about joining Prospect here.