Labour told to check prospective MPs' criminal records following new dossier of sexual abuse allegations

Female party members described being groped, sexually harassed and even raped at Labour events in shock report

Labour MP Stella Creasy said the findings were 'heartbreaking' (Getty)

Labour Party bosses have been urged to bring in criminal records checks for all prospective candidates after an internal survey uncovered more than 40 allegations of sexual abuse and harassment within the party.

Female party members described being groped, sexually harassed and even raped at Labour events in a shock report laying bare the scale of abuse of women at every level of the party.

The dossier, compiled by the LabourToo campaign over a two-month period, outlines a string of demands for party bosses, ranging from mandatory disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks for all candidates to a fully independent complaints process.

It comes after Westminster was engulfed by a slew of allegations about inappropriate behaviour in British politics, ranging from sexual harassment and bullying to assault.

LabourToo said in a statement: “Despite being prepared for it, we have found it genuinely distressing to read about this level of inexcusable behaviour taking place within the Labour Party.

“Sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination is not restricted to the corridors of Westminster, but is taking place at all levels within the Labour Party.”

One women alleged she had been raped at a party event but found “no one cared”, in one of the most shocking of the 43 anonymous testimonies from Labour members at both a national and a local level.

Another women claimed an individual had been accused of rape or sexual assault by two women but he had been allowed to resign quietly rather than face justice.

Other stories include a senior party official who tried to force himself on a woman in his hotel room at party conference, and a councillor who rubbed his groin against a parliamentary researcher in a bar.

The dossier also contains multiple reports of sexist attitudes from senior men towards female staff, including one activist who was told she could attend a meeting to give people “something nice to look at”.

LabourToo called on the party to establish an independent complaints process and put in place compulsory training for all party staff and representatives.

It said: “We want to ensure that women who have been victims of sexual harassment, abuse, assault and discrimination have confidence in reporting their experiences and can do so in the knowledge that everything will be done to ensure perpetrators are held to account.

“We need a system that is not open to political bias or interference from the friends and allies of the usually more powerful men whose behaviour causes the problem in the first place.”

Labour MP Stella Creasy, a member of the Women’s Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), called on the party to listen to the testimonies in the dossier.

She told The Independent: “I think it is heartbreaking because it is so consistent about the experience of women, not just in terms of sexual abuse and harassment, but in having to manage these situations themselves.

“It very clearly makes the case for change and the women’s PLP has already supported that, but I think this really brings it home and I hope the party will respond to that.”

The dossier has been sent to Karon Monaghan QC, who is leading an inquiry into reports that Bex Bailey, a prominent Labour activist, was raped at a party event and then advised not to report it by a senior official.

It will also be shared with party HQ, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Iain McNicol, general secretary, as well as the party’s ruling body.

Labour made clear that it welcomed the report, which will be fed into an ongoing review into its procedures for dealing with sexual harassment. The party urged women who had submitted anonymous testimony to make formal complaints so that alleged incidents can be investigated.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Labour is committed to continually improving our procedures, which is why Karon Monaghan QC has been appointed to make an independent assessment of the Party’s current procedures for dealing with sexual harassment and an independent specialist organisation is conducting an audit into the procedures from the perspective of those who have experienced sexual harassment.

“Labour Too’s report will feed into these ongoing reviews, which aim to ensure our procedures are as robust as possible.”

Last month, The Independent revealed that one in five people working in Westminster have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the last 12 months.

Theresa May set up the cross-party working group of MPs and staff to root out abuse in Parliament amid growing pressure to curb sexual harassment in industries ranging from Hollywood to the hospitality sector.

The group’s proposals, published by Andrea Leadsom, the Commons Leader, recommended establishing an independent grievance procedure to make it easier for victims to make complaints,

It also suggested a new HR system for MPs’ staff, who are currently directly employed by politicians, and tougher sanctions against those who have behaved inappropriately – such as suspension or expulsion for MPs and peers.