By MP Liam Byrne to be suspended from commons for bullying
The Labour MP Liam Byrne has been accused of bullying by a former member of staff and will be suspended for two days, reports say.
The ex-Cabinet minister and MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill reportedly had an ‘office dispute’ with a former assistant.
Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathyn Stone said the behaviour was a “significant misuse of power”.
Mr Byrne has reportedly apologised and said that he was “profoundly sorry”.
According to reports, a number of other allegations of unreasonable behaviour were suggested.
A complaint was made to the ICGS around two years ago by former assistant David Barker, who reported the MP.
Mr Barker started working for Mr Byrne in April 2019 and lodged a complaint around a year later.
The BBC reported the independent panel report said: “The respondent’s decision not to engage with the complainant following what he perceived to be acts of misconduct as not, as he argued, a reasonable HR strategy. It was bullying.
“He should, as he now accepts, have tackled any alleged misconduct through a proper disciplinary process not by ostracising the complainant.”
Mr Barker said Mr Byrne had begun excluding him following a minor disagreement about food bank collections.
Lawyers for Mr Byrne said the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Independent Expert Panel had both dismissed the allegations.
It was suggested Mr Byrne was “prone to fits of rage” which had been personally witnessed, also suggesting his employees did not realise the way in which they were treated was not acceptable.
They continued saying this was “simply not true” and a similar allegation was not upheld by the expert panel report.
“All staff are briefed on the parliamentary behaviour code which is on disply in Mr Byrne’s office” according to the MPs lawyers.
[IMAGE SOURCE UK PARLIAMENT]
