Sir Chris Bryant 'groped by five MPs' and says Parliament needs to be cleaned up

8 August 2023, 08:48 | Updated: 8 August 2023, 09:27

Senior Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant has claimed he has been groped by five male MPs during his tenure in the House of Commons.

Sir Chris, the head of the Parliamentary Standards committee, said that five MPs had touched his bottom, and that one of them also forcefully felt his crotch.

The MP for Rhondda in Wales made the claims in a new book Code of Conduct, in which he called for Parliament to be cleaned up.

"Over the years five male MPs have felt my bottom uninvited," he wrote in the book.

"One of them, who was not out, did so repeatedly.

"Another who is still in the House and still does not accept that he is gay, pushed me against a wall and felt my crotch."

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Sir Chris, who has been an MP since 2001, told LBC last May that he had been touched by older, senior MPs after he was first elected to the House of Commons.

He told LBC's Iain Dale on Sunday that he felt he could not report it because he did not want to "end up being part of the story".

Sir Chris, who is gay, said: "I remember when I came out, in 2001, I was regularly touched up by older, senior gay – they weren't out – MPs.

"I never felt I was able to report it because you end up being part of the story, that’s the last thing you want."I think a lot of women have been through that."

Chris Bryant shares how he was 'touched up' by male MPs

He added: "I can think of four MPs... I was shocked at the time… none of them are out of course. I think that now if anybody would do that I would be absolutely robust.

"I would call the person out immediately and I would make a complaint."

He did not name the MPs and added that racism and misogyny is "certainly still around in Parliament".

Other MPs have complained of a culture of sexual bullying and abuse in Parliament.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the minister of state for foreign affairs, said she had once been pinned against a wall by a male MP who is no longer in politics.

PM grilled over knowledge of groping allegations against Pincher

The trade secretary told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: "Well, we might describe it as wandering hands, if you like, we might describe it as a number of years ago being pinned up against a wall by a male MP who is now no longer in the House, I'm pleased to say, declaring that I must want him because he was a powerful man."

Caroline Nokes, the Conservative MP, said her party was institutionally sexist and said she had been touched and bullied by male MPs.

Former Tory MP Chris Pincher was also accused last year of groping two men in a private members club.

The allegations led to criticism of how then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson handled the situation, and after months of criticism involving partygate and other issues, he was forced out of office as a spate of ministers quit the government.