Labour MPs have urged the party to make its complaints procedure entirely independent after a cache of leaked emails suggested that members of Jeremy Corbyn’s office stopped the suspension from the party of David Prescott, a staff member, after harassment allegations were made.
Jess Phillips and Stella Creasy, who have campaigned to improve the party’s handling of sexual harassment claims, said factional interests needed to be entirely removed from the complaints process.
Prescott, the son of the former deputy prime minister John Prescott, was suspended from his position in Corbyn’s office in 2017 after allegations were made against him by a Labour MP, but he retained his party membership. He has strenuously denied the allegations.
Concerns were also raised about alleged behaviour towards two students. However, no formal complaint was pursued and Prescott returned to his role.
Leaked emails to the Sunday Times suggested senior Labour officials, including the then executive director, the head of governance and the head of disputes, all recommended suspending Prescott’s Labour membership to bar him from attending party events.
However, Corbyn’s chief of staff, Karie Murphy, then replied to the email chain saying she did not agree. “I don’t agree that DP’s membership should be suspended. Until something is in writing, I don’t think we have grounds to suspend,” the email read.
Prescott had later hoped to win the endorsement of the GMB trade union to stand as the Labour candidate in Mansfield at the next election, but the union reinterviewed him and declined to add its endorsement. He did not win the nomination.
Phillips, who chairs the women’s parliamentary Labour party, said the system allowed for too much potential factional interference.
“We have worked for years to try to improve the sexual harassment and abuse policy in the party, and I have heard frontbenchers stand and herald our system as being independent even though they had to be dragged to that position by brave women giving up their anonymity,” she said.
She said the allegations against Prescott showed “piecemeal changes are not good enough, and once and for all these complaints must be completely removed from the party’s power structures, which are completely controlled by factional slates”.
Phillips added: “This has been the recommendation of the women’s PLP from the beginning and it will remain the case. Our disciplinary processes must be about principles and safety, not political tactics.”
Creasy said there was a clear need “to take the politics out of the process when it comes to disciplinary complaints”, adding that the case would not be a one-off.
“A fully independent system is the only way out of this mess for all concerned. I just despair at those who refuse to admit it and act accordingly,” she said.
Labour sources suggested the party had been unable to take any further action because no formal complaints were made. They vigorously denied that anyone in the leader’s office blocked investigation of the complaint.
A party spokesperson said: “The Labour party takes all complaints of sexual harassment extremely seriously. In this case, no formal complaint was received to investigate. We do not comment on individual staffing matters. As an employer, the Labour party takes disciplinary and grievance matters extremely seriously and follows protocol as directed by the Acas code of practice.”
