Who is the mystery Labour frontbencher accused of sexual assault?

That’s the troubling question swirling around Westminster this evening after a bombshell from the Met Police on Thursday night.

A female Labour MP reported a shadow minister for allegedly sexually assaulting her, the force said. She alleges the incident took place after a summer party in 2021 and she told senior figures about it at the time. 

However, according to Tortoise Media, she was discouraged from making an official complaint by the MP’s popularity in the party. 

After reporting the incident to the Met, she later told officers that she did not want the police to investigate the matter.

It’s the latest in a wave of bullying and harassment scandals to have washed over Westminster in recent years, and comes hot on the heels of another damaging story regarding allegations of misconduct in Labour’s ranks.

It emerged this week that the party took three years to investigate a complaint of sexual harassment against a senior party aide, by a woman 20 years his junior.

According to reporting in POLITICO, the man has been allowed to keep his job advising a Labour frontbencher, despite the groping complaint being upheld by two separate investigations.

It’s not a good look for a party wanting to present itself in stark contrast to the Tory party, which it claims has become a cesspool of immorality and corruption.

If the mystery frontbencher really is as popular among the party faithful as the alleged victim suggests, his identity being made public could be a serious blow to Sir Keir Starmer at a time when his chances of becoming the next prime minister look closer than ever before. 

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