Labour receives formal complaint over suspended MP Geraint Davies

LONDON — A woman has submitted a formal complaint to the Labour Party over the conduct of MP Geraint Davies, who POLITICO revealed is facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

Five women said Davies, a former House of Commons committee chair whom Labour suspended Thursday morning, subjected them to unwanted sexual attention, both physical and verbal, after coming into contact with them through his work as an MP.

The complaint to Labour was submitted by a sixth woman — not one of the original five who shared allegations of inappropriate touching and sexual comments by the MP. A seventh woman said she was seeking advice on whether to submit a complaint.

Labour bosses meanwhile told staff Thursday that they had launched a review of the party’s complaints system. David Evans, general secretary of Labour, wrote to party employees outlining the move.

He said the decision had been triggered by both POLITICO’s recent reporting on a Labour aide accused of sexual harassment and claims of misconduct against a shadow minister reported by Tortoise.

Evans pledged his personal commitment to tackle this issue as “forcefully as possible,” and said he had been working with a team of the party’s senior leadership to move forward as “quickly as possible.”

Davies said in a statement responding to POLITICO’s initial story that he did not “recognize” the allegations, adding: “If I have inadvertently caused offence to anyone, then I am naturally sorry.” A spokesperson for Labour described the claims against Davies as “incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour.”

Davies was first elected in 1997 and has represented Swansea West since 2010, serving on the Welsh affairs and environment select committees.

The MP’s alleged behavior appears to have been an open secret in certain parts of the Labour Party, but insiders had stressed the difficulty of taking action in the absence of a formal complaint.

Shadow Minister Stephen Kinnock, a fellow Welsh Labour MP, earlier told ITV News “I generally try to not get engaged in those rumors,” when asked if he’d heard of claims against Davies.