Booze and long hours aren’t the real problem at Westminster – ‘getting away with it’ is

Even today, it isn’t especially risky for a man to bully, sexually harass or assault someone in Westminster, writes Marie Le Conte

As women gradually get into more senior positions, they are less likely to be preyed on in the same way ((PA))

I like vaping indoors sometimes. It is not allowed, I know it is not allowed, but I am good at being discreet and so, in bars and cafes, I vape indoors. If I get caught, which has happened on occasion, I never vape indoors in that place again. I accept that I was playing a game and lost; these are the rules. I get away with it until I don’t.

I like getting away with things – blagging my way into events, getting someone important to say something they shouldn’t have said – which is why I enjoy political journalism. It is a world full of people like me, who enjoy doing things they shouldn’t really be doing.

They are journalists pursuing stories even if they are legally risky, and politicians who trick and toy with their opponents to get what they want. Without them, little would get done. Of course, the problem is that “getting away with it”, as a hobby and a talent, is entirely neutral; it can be applied to anything.

This is why, for example, predatory men in Westminster tend to letch on young, powerless women, as Charlotte Ivers mentioned in her column last week. It isn’t about them as people, but about the fact that even if the men overstep their boundaries, the power imbalance likely means that they will get away with it.

As these women gradually get into more senior positions, they are less likely to be preyed on in the same way, as the odds of getting away with preying on them become less attractive. That is the trick to being someone who gets away with it; you must always know how much risk you are about to put yourself into.

The problem is that, even today, it isn’t especially risky for a man to bully, sexually harass or assault someone in Westminster. It is likely that the victim will be too scared to reach out to the relevant authorities, as a whistleblower told Jane Merrick last week. Even if they do, the following process will almost certainly take many months and not lead anywhere. Even if it does, it is entirely possible that nothing will happen, and that the man will keep his job and social standing. These are, to be blunt, good odds. If you bully, sexually harass or assault someone in Westminster, it is likely that you will get away with it. Not certain; but certain enough.

What can be done to change those odds? An HR system whereby MPs’ staff are technically working for an independent body would be a start. An even more robust complaints system would be another. Still, they would not solve the problem entirely; after all, female journalists get harassed too, and so do MPs, and lobbyists, and anyone else with the gall to work in politics while being a woman.

What needs to change is the culture; there will always be long hours, alcohol, informal structures and huge egos in politics, because that is the nature of the beast. The problem here is that bad behaviour is tolerated in Westminster; not by everyone, not all the time, but enough that the odds remain tempting.

We wonder why things have seemingly got worse again recently, but I can tell you. I could tell you, right now, off the top of my head, about half a dozen men currently in government who have long been rumoured to be abusers. I have heard some first hand stories and some distant whispers. It is possible that not all the stories are entirely true, but that is not the point. If I have heard these stories, countless other people have.

They know that these men were backbenchers and had worrying reputations and still, they got promoted, they run the country, they are interviewed by journalists, they pleasantly mingle with their colleagues, their lives are good. What is to stop others from following in their footsteps? If I see someone vaping indoors in a bar it will make me more likely to vape in a bar. If you see someone getting away with something you are more likely to do the same. Creeps beget creeps.

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Jess Phillips wrote in this newspaper a few days ago that the “culture” was not to blame for the crimes of a small minority but I disagree, at least partly. She is right to say that the long hours and the pressure and the booze are not at fault, but there is a cultural problem here.

Every time an MP ignores stories they have heard about a colleague because it is useful for their camp or their career, the odds of someone getting away with sexual abuse get better. Every time a journalist ignores rumours floating around about an MP because they are a useful source, their odds get better. Every time a story of harassment comes out publicly and the MP’s future prospects are not harmed in a significant way, they get even better.

Westminster is a place that will always attract people who like the idea of getting away with it; the only thing we can do is make it clear to them that they will not.