‘Pestminster’ alive and kicking: claims of assault by Tory MP, Labour use of NDAs

Truly horrific images and footage emerged from the Ukrainian cities of Bucha and Irpin over the weekend, as hundreds of civilians – some with hands tied, shoes missing – were found in mass graves according to reports. The Mirror sums it up with the single word “genocide” on its front page, quoting Volodymyr Zelensky. Metro went with “worse than ISIS”. Comparisons have been drawn to the Srebrenica massacre. Boris Johnson said the latest developments were “more evidence that Putin and his army are committing war crimes in Ukraine”, as he pledged to “starve Putin’s war machine” with sanctions against Russia and military support for Ukraine.

There was grim news closer to home, too, as The Sunday Times revealed that Conservative MP David Warburton is facing allegations of sexual assault from three women, including two who worked in his office. The story raises fresh concern over the Westminster working environment for women, the role of whips in parliament and how HR works for staffers. Tory whips were told at least a fortnight ago about the claims of sexual assault and cocaine use but only suspended the MP on Saturday. And it is Warburton’s wife who works in his office overseeing staff matters. She says the MP has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital with “severe shock and stress”. Warburton said he had “enormous amounts of defence” and had not heard from the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme.

Meanwhile, in Labour land, 12 women on the ruling body and women’s committee have demanded an apology from the party after its use of non-disclosure agreements was reported. Their full letter to David Evans and Anneliese Dodds is up on LabourList. On Saturday, the BBC exclusively told the stories of former party staffers Laura Murray and Georgie Robertson. The pair say they were asked to sign confidentiality agreements when they left Labour’s employment, after both had made complaints of sexual harassment against the same senior official. They say the official was told of their concerns without their consent; later, their formal grievances were not looked into properly; in the end, they were asked to sign NDAs, which they refused to do. A Labour spokesperson said complaints of sexual harassment are taken “extremely seriously” and “fully investigated”.

Finally, the LabourList board of directors has made an announcement. This is my last week in the job, as I am leaving to join The House magazine. Our dedicated reporter Elliot, who first joined me at LabourList to cover the 2019 general election, will be taking over from next week. My final morning email will be sent on Friday and I’ll have more to say then about handing over the reins. For now, you can read the message from directors explaining the changes.