It feels like we are being inundated with allegations of sexual assault or misconduct against members of Parliament. Most recently, Tory MP Crispin Blunt has been arrested and questioned by Surrey police over an allegation of rape and possession of controlled substances. Has Westminster become a safe space for predators to thrive? And if so, why has there been no serious attempt to change this culture?
A 19-year-old soldier took her own life following relentless sexual harassment from her boss.
After reports of the arrest of an unnamed Conservative MP first emerged on Thursday evening, Mr Blunt issued a statement on Twitter/X to ‘clear’ his name. In the statement on X, he said: "It has been reported that an MP was arrested yesterday in connection with an allegation of rape. I am confirming that MP was me. The fact of the arrest requires a formal notification of the Speaker and then my chief whip.
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"I have now been interviewed twice in connection with this incident, the first time three weeks ago, when I initially reported my concern over extortion. The second time was earlier this morning under caution following arrest.
“The arrest was unnecessary as I remain ready to co-operate fully with the investigation that I am confident will end without charge.”
As the Sunday Times reported last year that 56 MPs - including three Cabinet ministers and two Shadow Cabinet ministers - have been reported to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS). The ICGS, which is understood to be handling 70 separate complaints dating back to 2018, was set up in the wake of the #MeToo movement. The 56 MPs have not been named. At least one of the complaints made to the watchdog is believed to relate to a criminal offence.
This week alone, former Tory MP Peter Bone was suspended on Wednesday for six weeks for bullying and sexual misconduct against a staff member. And in September, Tory whip Chris Pincher resigned after allegations that he had groped two people surfaced.
This report and news has largely been ignored by the mainstream media - it dominated headlines for a handful of days, and then was buried amongst all the other (many) parliamentary scandals. But we must not let this go, we must not allow yet another MP accused of sexual assault to avoid consequences. Of course Crispin Blunt is “confident” that this accusation will not end in charges, and why shouldn't he be?
The distressing truth is that if you are raped in Britain today, your chances of seeing justice are incredibly slim. 68,109 rapes were recorded by police between July 2022 and June 2023. By the end of that 12-month period, charges had been brought in just 2.2% (1,498) of cases. Meaning just 2 in 100 rapes recorded by police between July 2022 and June 2023 resulted in someone being charged that same year. Let alone convicted. And those are just the cases that make it to the police. 5 in 6 women who are raped don’t report – and the same is true for 4 in 5 men.
Cabinet minister Gillian Keegan insisted that there is no “cultural issue” among Tory MPs following a series of suspensions. The education secretary said Rishi Sunak has been “clear about high standards” and “always follows due process” when asked about the arrest of Crispin Blunt. “No, I certainly don’t see a cultural issue among Conservative MPs. I see individual incidents which are all investigated as such,” she said.
MPs in the UK are protected by the establishment- they rarely ever get held accountable when they act inappropriately or break the law.
It is an insult to victims to say there isn't a “cultural issue” in Westminster; when allegedly 56 MPs are being reported for sexual misconduct, how could there not be?
For more from GLAMOUR's Contributing Editor, Chloe Laws, follow her @chloegracelaws.
