Former Labour MP Keith Vaz should be ashamed of bullying behaviour, report says
- Published
Ex-Labour MP Keith Vaz should be ashamed of his behaviour towards a House of Commons staff member, a report on his conduct has said.
Mr Vaz's "sustained and unpleasant bullying" of Jenny McCullough had an "enduring psychological impact" on her, a panel of independent experts says., external
The panel says Mr Vaz - who stood down as an MP in 2019 - should never be given a Parliamentary pass again.
He has rejected the ruling and says he is considering legal action.
Ms McCullough says she was subjected to verbal abuse and attempts to undermine her position, when she worked as a clerk for the Home Affairs Committee, chaired at the time by Mr Vaz.
The former minister likened her to prostitutes, told her she could not do her job effectively because she was "not a mother", and threatened to take photographs of her drinking alcohol to show to her boss, according to the report.
'Psychological threat'
Parliament's standards commissioner has already rebuked Mr Vaz, with the independent panel - set up last year to rule on allegations about MPs' behaviour, external - being brought in to decide on sanctions.
The panel's chair, Sir Stephen Irwin, said Mr Vaz's bullying "was hostile, sustained, harmful and unworthy of a Member of Parliament", adding "he should be ashamed of his behaviour".
Jenny McCullough worked at the Commons from 2002 to 2011
On a trip to Russia in 2008, the report said Mr Vaz insisted on taking a member of his own staff against advice and told Ms McCullough this was because she was "not competent".
Mr Vaz then threatened to take photos of her drinking alcohol and show them to her manager.
The report said there was evidence the photos were taken and "the implication of the threat was that she was liable to drink to excess so as to affect her performance".
The panel found "there was no substance to this" and deemed it a "psychological threat".
On the same trip, Mr Vaz accused her of not being able to do her job effectively because she "wasn't a mother" and forced her to reveal her age in order to undermine her performance.
Ms McCullough moved to a different team following the trip. Mr Vaz then told her after a meeting with some prostitutes, that they had "reminded him of" her.
The panel said that if the former Leicester East MP had currently held a Commons pass "it would have been appropriate to remove it" and his eligibility for one "should never be restored".
'Riddled with flaws'
Former MPs are entitled to passes to the Parliamentary estate - but Mr Vaz had his taken off him after a separate breach of the Commons code of conduct.
The panel also rejected claims from Mr Vaz's medical adviser that he was too ill to participate in its inquiry, after reviewing "publicly available material demonstrating his ongoing public media and political activity".
Mr Vaz's office said: "He has never seen the report, nor has he had the chance to question any witnesses or provide a response."
The statement rejected the panel's claim that Mr Vaz had refused to cooperate with them, saying the former MP had been told he was no longer required to take part and an interview that had been due to take place at his home was cancelled.
"The Parliamentary Commissioner, Kathryn Stone, gave the complainant the right of appeal but failed to offer Mr Vaz the same right which is a fundamental breach of the process leaving the decision open to judicial review," the statement continued.
"This is a deeply fractured process which has cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds. The total overall cost now stands at £1m."
The statement said Parliament's complaints and grievance process was "riddled with flaws", adding: "As a direct result of the protracted and debilitating process, Mr Vaz was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy for which he was hospitalised and for which he is still undergoing treatment. This matter is now in the hands of solicitors."