Labour MP says she was sexually assaulted by colleague in Westminster

09 March 2023 , 14:16

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Charlotte Nichols has been the Labour MP for Warrington North since 2019 (Image: House of Commons)

The Labour MP Charlotte Nichols has claimed she was sexually assaulted by a colleague in Westminster.

The MP for Warrington North since 2019 also said that separately she had been "repeatedly sexually propositioned" by a Tory MP.

“I've been assaulted by a colleague,” she told Times Radio on International Women's Day. "Sexually assaulted".

“I don't want to go into the specifics of it. But suffice to say, this is still very much an ongoing issue in Westminster."

Asked whether she had reported the incident to the police or Parliament's Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), Ms Nichols said: "I don't want to go into the specifics of this because it's an ongoing thing".

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Launched in 2018 in the wake of the MeToo scandal, the ICGS helps those who have experienced bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct.

Speaking on Wednesday, the Labour MP and ex-Shadow Equalities Minister, also said she was repeatedly propositioned by a Conservative MP.

MPs are able to report incidents of bullying, harrasment, and sexual misconduct, to Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (Getty Images)

The 31-year-old said the politician was "old enough to be my grandfather" and that the incident happened in front of colleagues.

"This wasn't something that was in Stranger's [parliamentary bar] late at night", she said. "This was during the middle of the working day in front of various witnesses".

Posting on social media afterwards, she told her followers: "You have two types of people who go into Westminster.

"The ones who look at it and go 'yeah that's fine, I want to be part of that' and the ones that go in to change things and fix what's wrong.

"I'm in the latter and if you are too, come and be part of that change with me."

She added: "If you think what I said is awful and shouldn't be how Westminster functions, put your name forward for election and together let's get the place cleaned up and better able to deliver on the priorities of the people we seek to serve.”

Ashley Cowburn