Why were no safeguards in place to prevent the sexual harassment happening in our politics?

Women working in Parliament are said to have been using a WhatsApp group to share information and disseminate warnings about men who behave badly. It is appalling that such a need should exist

Michael Gove's tasteless joke about Harvey Weinstein was seemingly a sign of things to come (PA)

It may be an old-fashioned idea that our political leaders should be capable of setting a good example to the people they represent – but that doesn’t mean it is a bad one, however irksome some MPs may find it.

With Hollywood having been shaken by the sex-abuse scandal which shamed not only Harvey Weinstein but the industry itself, it was inevitable perhaps that other sectors or institutions should come under a similar spotlight. After all, the film industry is not unique. Indeed, it appears at the moment that wherever there are powerful men, predatory behaviour is likely to be found. That it should be Westminster next to be revealed as an apparently safe space for sexual harassment is a grim indictment of how inappropriate behaviour is tolerated even in the corridors of British democracy.

Last week, several female MPs told how they had experienced sexual harassment in political settings. And this weekend media reports have detailed allegations against at least four current male MPs concerning improper activity – including making unwanted passes at junior colleagues and female journalists, both in person and via text message. Women working in Parliament are said to have been using a WhatsApp group to share information and disseminate warnings about men who behave badly. It is appalling that such a need should exist.

Already the Prime Minister has called for an investigation into claims about Mark Garnier, an international trade minister, who has reportedly admitted to calling a former secretary “sugar tits” and to asking her to buy sex toys for him. It may well be that he is not the last to face official scrutiny.

What is particularly striking about the conduct of Mr Garnier is that he appears not to recognise the gravity of his indiscretion. While he conceded to the Mail on Sunday that he might be guilty of “dinosaur behaviour”, he nonetheless remained adamant that “it absolutely does not constitute harassment”. This is from the Donald Trump school of delusional excuses – justifying inappropriate sexual remarks as something akin to jovial banter. But it is not jovial banter and, like dinosaurs, it should have become extinct a long time ago.

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have both, quite rightly, made clear that the kind of activity alleged against their MPs is entirely unacceptable. It isn’t good enough to note that things aren’t as awful as they were 20 or 30 years ago, though, without acknowledging that there should always have been a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct in Parliament – and elsewhere.

Jeremy Hunt indicated his support for the establishment of some kind of reporting mechanism whereby victims could reveal abusive behaviour anonymously. Frankly, it seems astonishing that such a tool does not already exist given that rumours of unwanted sexual advances by MPs towards aides and others have swirled around for so long. The impression left by the apparent lacuna is that politicians and senior officials preferred to turn a blind eye or simply to play down what they saw.

Indeed, that Michael Gove thought it was either funny or suitable to compare being interviewed by John Humphrys to going into Harvey Weinstein’s bedroom is indicative of a still-prevailing attitude which, consciously or otherwise, minimises the distress caused by sexual impropriety. Mr Gove swiftly apologised for his ill-judged remark – yet it exposed a way of thinking that exists in Parliament, in boardrooms, in factories and in playgrounds and which fails vulnerable people who experience abuse. They should not have to fear being dismissed, or laughed at, or told to go elsewhere: rather, they should be empowered to speak up in the knowledge that they will be heard and taken seriously.

The Prime Minister wrote to the Speaker to request that MPs and their staff all be contractually bound to a grievance procedure. Again, it might be wondered why such a system is not already in place – but it is welcome nonetheless. Any other victims, women or men, who have previously felt unable to lodge complaints about inappropriate behaviour should be urged to come forward too.

It is likely that other institutions, industries or business will come under the microscope as the downfall of Harvey Weinstein continues its domino effect. That makes it all the more important that Parliament acts now to gets its own house in order: it is not too late for it to set an example to others; this time, a positive one.