Four female politicians have come forward with accounts of sexual harassment and abuse, joining the 'me too' campaign following the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Tory peer Baroness Jenkin, Labour MPs Mary Creagh and Jess Phillips, and Tory MP Theresa Villiers have all shared their experiences.
Baroness Jenkin, 61, recalled an incident where an MP stroked her neck while she was driving, causing her to swerve. She said that when she first worked in Parliament in the 1970s, 'men used to hit on you all the time'. She founded the Tory Women2Win campaign to boost female representation.
Labour MP Mary Creagh revealed she was sexually assaulted by about 12 boys aged ten or 11 when she was seven, during a game of kiss chase. She also said a parish priest pinched her bottom when she was 16, and a teacher tried to kiss her after driving her to his house. She described the issue as 'an unspoken epidemic'.
Labour MP Jess Phillips told how her former boss tried to assault her, while Tory MP Theresa Villiers said she had to fend off groping hands at a Conservative function in the late 1990s. Maria Miller, chairwoman of the women and equalities select committee, said she experienced more abuse as an MP than in her 20-year advertising career.
Politicians have called for a new body to investigate claims of sexual harassment in Parliament, separate from party whips' offices. Labour's shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler echoed this call, saying the authorities need to build a picture of accused individuals' behaviour.
