Watchdog on course to take charge of inquiries into MPs' misconduct

Political parties are on course to hand over responsibility for examining allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct by MPs to parliament's independent investigator.

- Eleni Courea

A parliamentary committee is preparing to back proposals to refer complaints about misconduct by MPs to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), instead of letting parties deal with them.

Sources on the modernisation committee, which is considering reforms to parliamentary procedures and standards, told the Guardian it was supportive of the change. Unlike select committees, MPs on the modernisation committee are appointed by their party whips.

Under the proposal, parliament's political parties would defer any complaints of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct against MPs to the ICGS, which was set up in 2019 after Westminster was rocked by the #MeToo movement.

Proponents hope it will standardise the complaints system and boost confidence after a succession of misconduct scandals involving both Labour and Conservative MPs in the past few years. The ICGS deals with alleged cases of bullying, harassment, or sexual misconduct on the parliamentary estate, in constituency offices or while undertaking parliamentary work.