Tribunal rules ex-Hartlepool MP subjected worker to unwanted sexual conduct
An employment tribunal has ruled that the former Hartlepool MP Mike Hill breached the Equality Act by subjecting a parliamentary worker to unwanted sexual conduct on a number of occasions.
The tribunal panel also decided he had victimised the woman in a number of ways.
It did not uphold some other claims, including disability discrimination against her.The woman worked at Westminster. She is referred to as Ms A, to protect her identity. She told the tribunal that Mr Hill's actions have had a profound psychological impact on her.
Mr Hill became the Labour MP for Hartlepool in 2017. He resigned in March 2021, triggering the high-profile by-election which saw the constituency won by the Conservatives.
He denied all of the allegations against him during the employment tribunal hearings in May, and said his resignation was not due to the claims. Shadow minister Kate Hollern resigned after the tribunal heard she tried to "isolate" Ms A from support when she told another MP about Mr Hill's behaviour. A hearing looking at remedies to be paid to Ms A has been scheduled for November.A separate investigation, looking at the same allegations, found Mr Hill breached parliament's sexual misconduct policy. An independent panel said he would have faced a significant sanction had he not already stepped down as an MP.