Bullying MPs will be held to account, however much their parties resist | Caroline Lucas

Efforts to water down parliament’s code of behaviour will not stop it dragging British politics into the 21st century

The news that John Woodcock MP has resigned from the Labour party, protesting about the handling of a sexual misconduct allegation against him (which he strenuously denies), is yet more evidence – were any needed – that the political party system still doesn’t understand bullying and sexual harassment. And it makes the work of the steering group set up to create a new independent complaints system even more important.

As well as securing justice for individuals, designing a framework to better protect all those working in and around politics is a vital part of how we move beyond #MeToo and #TimesUp and help to dismantle male privilege and male-dominated hierarchies. That’s why I was so determined to play an active role in the cross-party group driving forward change in parliament – a process that has meant being prepared to question everything that is apparently unquestionable about how Westminster works, from parliamentary privilege to the power of the whip system.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2O2iYo6