London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Ex-aides demand Labour retract media statements on sexual harassment case

Ex-aides demand Labour retract media statements on sexual harassment case

In leaked letter two female ex-staffers demand party acknowledge they were asked to sign gagging clauses
Two female former Labour staffers have accused the party of making damaging statements to the media about a sexual harassment case, demanding in a leaked letter that the party acknowledge they were asked to sign gagging clauses.

The two former aides have written to the national executive committee (NEC), the party’s governing body, asking it to address the allegations at a meeting on Tuesday.

Two sources said they believed it was likely that the NEC meeting on Tuesday would receive a long-delayed report into allegations of bullying, racism and sexism within the Labour party.

But a Labour spokesperson said the report by Martin Forde QC had not yet been received by the party on Monday afternoon. Another party source said the report had been delayed multiple times despite being expected in previous months.

Its eventual release is likely to reignite bitter tensions in Labour over the conduct of staff from different party factions during Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader.

The two former staffers, Georgie Robertson and Laura Murray, have given evidence to the investigation, which was commissioned by Keir Starmer after the leak of a document containing private WhatsApps that exposed deep factionalism in Labour’s efforts to combat antisemitism.

But the report’s publication has faced a number of setbacks, including legal action against the party by some of those named in the original leaked document, an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) into data breaches, and Labour’s decision to sue five former staffers who it alleges leaked the original document. The legal actions and ICO investigation are ongoing.

Robertson and Murray, who worked underCorbyn, wrote to the NEC on Monday demanding that the party retract statements given to the Mail on Sunday about a sexual harassment case.

The accused staff member, who has not been named, has since departed.

Robertson and Murray are two of the five accused by Labour of leaking the original report containing the unredacted private WhatsApps – which they deny.

When they resigned from the party, the women refused to sign legal agreements with a confidentiality clause after making official complaints about the alleged harassment, and chose to resign without payouts. Their story was first reported by BBC News, which said it had seen the official documents including an initial complaint, formal grievances and official correspondence.

The former official accused of harassment was temporarily suspended but denied the allegations. Labour issued a statement to the Mail on Sunday, which revived the story last weekend, saying no non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) “have been proposed to any member of staff alleging sexual harassment since Starmer took over as leader”.

But in a letter to the party seen by the Guardian, Murray and Robertson cite detailed evidence of the party’s most senior lawyer setting out confidentiality clauses to protect the party and the individual they accused.

Robertson and Murray said the party must apologise for this “categorically false statement … which has further compounded the significant hurt and distress we have suffered”.

In their letter, which was also sent to Starmer, the deputy Labour leader, Angela Rayner, and the party’s general secretary, David Evans, the pair say they “do not see how the NEC can fully consider recommendations on tackling sexist and discriminatory culture and practices within the party, without the party taking responsibility for this attempt to publicly undermine our credibility and cover up what happened to us”.

They alleged they were contacted by other former employees who claimed they signed agreements containing similar clauses relating to experiences of bullying or discrimination.

The letter contains detailed correspondence between the party lawyer and the lawyers for the two women, including excerpts from emails where the pair attempt to retain the right to take legal action against the individual. The party’s lawyer is quoted as saying that cannot be an exemption.

In the letter, the pair called it a “bogus distinction” that such a confidentiality clause would not amount to an NDA.

Labour declined to comment on the letter’s specific allegations, citing confidentiality. A spokesperson said: “The Labour party takes any complaints of sexual harassment extremely seriously, which are fully investigated and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken in line with the party’s rules and procedures.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×