Workplace harassment: Wera Hobhouse's Bill makes progress

 The Liberal Democrat MP for Bath writes:

Over the past few months there has been a steady stream of news stories about harassment in workplaces across the UK, from the NHS and regulatory bodies to large corporations. Yet many incidences of harassment still go unreported and with no action taken to redress the perpetrators. Research by the House of Commons suggests 40 percent of women and 18 percent of men in the UK have experienced some form of workplace harassment. We Liberal Democrats have continually campaigned hard to protect women and girls. In 2018, as a new MP, I campaigned to make upskirting a crime. My Private Member’s Bill on this issue was taken on by the Government as the Voyeurism (Offences) (No.2) Bill in 2019. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I are determined to keep working hard to prevent women from being harassed, wherever they are. Today I wanted to update you about the passing of my Private Members Bill on workplace sexual harassment, which is a key part of our work fighting for more equitable work spaces. The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment, instead of putting the onus on individual employees to report incidents. The Bill makes employers liable to their employees if they have not taken reasonable steps to prevent harassment. This amendment will address deficiencies in the Equality Act 2010 identified by the EHRC, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee, and the Fawcett Society. In 2018 the EHRC found that only a minority of employers had effective processes to prevent and address sexual harassment. What does this change to the law mean? Currently, the law places the onus on an individual to report an incident of harassment to her superiors. This means, in practice, that women do not report harassment because they are embarrassed about ‘making a fuss’ or worried that it will impact their career prospects. That is why a 2018 TUC report estimated that as many as 79% of women have not reported incidents of workplace harassment. My Bill looks to change the culture of workplaces to prevent harassment before it happens. It sends a clear signal that such behaviour is unacceptable, and should bring about a long-term change in attitudes toward harassment. I am proud to have worked alongside brilliant organisations such as the Fawcett Society and the wider Alliance for Women, as well as the Minister for Women and Baroness Burt, to help make this Bill a reality. See my speech in Parliament on the Bill here:

Watch  ➜ Wera Hobhouse MP (she/her) Liberal Democrats

Gaza: a message from our party leader

 

I was horrified to wake up on 7th October to the awful terrorist attacks in Israel, which we have condemned unequivocally. I have been heartbroken and dismayed to see the scenes of violence in Israel and Palestine over the past two and a half weeks. It is hard to watch the news right now. We continue to hear reports of the brutal terrorism of Hamas, which still holds more than 200 Israelis hostage in Gaza. And now we have a situation in Gaza which is frankly devastating. The 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip, over half of whom are children, are hurtling towards a humanitarian catastrophe. It is horrifying. Liberal Democrats are clear: it is vital that essential supplies like food, water and medicine get to innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, in line with international law. It is also of the utmost importance that the hostages - among whose number includes children as young as nine months old - are immediately and unconditionally released. We support Israel’s right to protect its citizens and target these brutal terrorists Hamas, in line with international law. We are clear that innocent Palestinians must not pay the price for the atrocities of Hamas. And we affirm that the world has a duty to prevent needless civilian deaths. That’s why, over the weekend, we declared our support for a temporary humanitarian ceasefire, in order to bring about a pause in hostilities. We need the space for an intense period of diplomacy, to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, and to provide an opportunity to realise the release of the hostages. In the House of Commons earlier this week, I asked the Prime Minister to support our call. You can watch my question here:

Watch now  ➜

We were not alone when we called for a humanitarian ceasefire. Others, like the Archbishop of Canterbury, had already done so. And in the days since, there has been some movement within the international community and within the UK. Both the Government and the Labour Party now call for what they term a ‘humanitarian pause’. But there is further to go. We are clear that the people of Israel and Palestine have a right to live free from fear. The thing that will ultimately give them the security which they deserve - the security which will prevent the sort of scenes which we have seen over the past days - is to finally bring about the two state solution, and a lasting peace. Liberal Democrats are the party of internationalism and international law. We have long advocated for a two state solution, and we will continue to do so. Ed Davey MP Leader of the Liberal Democrats (he/him)

Council By-Election Quarterly Review (July to September 2023)

The Lib Dems are having a remarkable year in council by-elections! This report rounds up our performance between July and September. Once again we were first in terms of net gains and share of the vote increases.  Overall 51 council seats were contested. We made 8 gains and successfully defended 5 wards - while only losing 1 ward during this period (to an independent candidate - we didn't suffer a single loss to another political party). This gave us a net result of 7 more Lib Dem councillors. This is comfortably the best performance of any party (the Conservatives, Labour and Nationalist parties all went backwards). Our gains came from the Conservatives (5), Labour (2) and 1 from the Vectis Party in the Isle of Wight.