Parents of young aides working in the Commons 'would be horrified'

[Jonah notes: Friends during my student days testified to a similar culture at Queen's Park in the mid-70s. A budding journalist could likely make an incredible scoop and thoroughly destroy his/her career writing an Ontario version of this story.]

The Palace of Westminster - or the 'Palace of Sexminster' as it's been dubbed
after a string of scandals - is rife with rumours of MPs acting
inappropriately towards their young staff members

Young parliamentary researchers last night claimed their parents would be ‘horrified’ if they knew the lurid truth of what goes on at the ‘Palace of Sexminster’.

One aide said there were rumours of MPs and peers using date rape drugs on junior activists, or paying for abortions after getting their staff pregnant.

Others claimed former ministers had been accused of manhandling women on the Commons terrace and that sex acts and drug-taking regularly took place in toilets. Yesterday there were calls for an urgent overhaul of Westminster’s late-night drinking culture to prevent more damaging sleaze scandals from engulfing Parliament.

The comments come two days after Nigel Evans, the former deputy speaker, was unanimously cleared of a series of sexual assaults.

The case shone a light on the drink-fuelled culture at Westminster – which has been labelled the ‘Palace of Sexminster’ after a string of sexual harassment allegations.

A study released at the end of the trial also found that a third of researchers said they had been subjected to harassment.  (more...)

Parents of young aides working in the Commons 'would be horrified'

A thick hide is helpful:

How I fell foul of sex pest MPs