If political culture in Westminster is rotten, bad behaviour will continue

In the wake of the Geraint Davies allegations, Labour has said it will look again at its processes for dealing with these types of complaints.

In a (very long) email to all staff, the party’s general secretary, David Evans, went through all the resources already available – and the list was long.

In doing so, he inadvertently encapsulated the problem with Westminster – you can create endless bodies and procedures but if political culture is rotten, the bad behaviour will continue regardless, and it does.

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The reality is that the party already has a robust independent system designed specifically for addressing sexual misconduct and bullying.

That sits alongside parliament’s own independent complaints process – the ICGS – which has been established for five years and has received thousands of allegations.

But in the case of Mr Davies, as with so many others, it was to the media that his complainants turned for some form of justice.

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None of the complainants felt any of the many processes would be fair, and many feared that if they did lodge a formal complaint, it would be their career that would be over, not his.

At the heart of all of this, of course, is politics.

People who work in it are fiercely partisan and protecting the reputation of MPs is seen as synonymous with being loyal to the party.

Speaking out could damage not just the individual, but the entire cause to which many have dedicated their lives.

That’s why despite the attempts to force the Commons to modernise, it remains mired in archaic customs.

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Anything potentially harmful is dealt with behind closed doors.

Problem MPs are managed quietly – their staff move on, and colleagues warn each other about who to stay away from, especially when they’ve had a few drinks.

The accepted way to complain is still to have a word with the whips, whose role includes keeping MPs in line.

But in the Labour Party, as with all parties, the whips’ office is often a place where allegations are hoarded and suppressed, sometimes for years.

This seems to have been the case with Mr Davies – Sky News has seen evidence suggesting that Labour whips were aware of the claims that were circulating against the Swansea West MP months ago.

The suggestion from insiders is that, because of the coming boundary changes, he may not have made it beyond the next election anyway and the rumours would have disappeared with him.

Instead, they were forced to confront a wave of stories in public, and from conversations with frustrated MPs and staff, there’s more to come.

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