Ex-minister reprimanded for groping young woman in Parliament

A former whip groped a young woman who worked in Parliament in a 'brazen and drunken' case of sexual misconduct, Parliament's complaints service has found.

Aaron Bell, a former government whip who stood down as a Tory MP at the last election, was found to have 'abused his position of power' over the woman when he touched her in a Parliament bar.

It found that she felt targeted by assistant whip Mr Bell, 44, because she was 'young, female and a junior member of staff who would risk considerable adverse impacts on her career if she made a complaint'.

Parliament's Independent Expert Panel (IEP) said it would have considered suspending him for a significant period had he still been an MP.

But as the married father-of-three stood down as the MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme after the Daily Mail reported the events, the body no longer has any power over him.

It said the report would have to stand as a 'published reprimand' for his actions against the young woman, who is half his age.

'Not only was he considerably older, but he was also a Member of Parliament therefore holding a particularly powerful role,' the report said.

'In addition, he was an Assistant Government Whip which is not only a role with considerable authority, but also involves upholding the highest standards of conduct.'

The incident happened in Parliament's Stranger's Bar last December when Mr Bell sat with the young woman, who works in Parliament, and her colleagues.

'He stroked her thigh a few times, then her waist and then her bottom. These actions were unwanted. In reaction to the unwanted touching, she froze,' it said.

Mr Bell claimed that he could not recall everything about the evening because he was too drunk, but said that he remembered touching her thigh, 'probably her waist' but denied touching her bottom.

While he initially claimed there was 'mutual flirting', he later added: 'Probably, to be fair, more from me to her than the other way round'. The young woman and several witnesses deny that there was mutual flirting.

Asked about the requirement for consent, Mr Bell said that he understood this after reading the Sexual Misconduct Policy but said that was not how 'physically flirting' with someone worked.

The young woman said he 'touched me out of nowhere' and said she felt 'really uncomfortable' about his 'incredibly brazen' conduct, which was in full view of the packed bar.

The report concluded that the events took place as the woman described them and that Mr Bell's behaviour breached the Sexual Misconduct Policy. Mr Bell did not appeal the finding.

Mr Bell said today: ‘I am disappointed at the outcome of the investigation but have chosen not to appeal the findings of the Commissioner.

‘I apologise for any upset caused to the complainant and wish to make it clear that I did not intend to cause any distress.

‘This investigation was one of the reasons I chose not to seek re-election at the General Election – I have let down the loyal members of my Association and thank them for the support they gave me as a Member of Parliament. I would also like to apologise to the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme, whom it was an honour to serve.

‘This has been a difficult time for my family, and I would ask that their privacy is respected at this time.’

The report noted that the young woman had experienced 'significant adverse physical effects related to the stress of the event, its aftermath and the investigatory process.

'These adverse physical impacts are on-going and result from the shock, humiliation and fear that the events have caused. It has also adversely impacted on her personal relationships,' it said.

It said the events also continued to have an impact on her professional life due to the way in which colleagues would view her having reported the attack.

'She has lower levels of trust in others with consequences for building relationships with colleagues and politicians,' it added.

The young woman reported what had happened to the Conservative party, but despite this, he remained in his powerful role as a government whip until the election in July.

Incredibly, he also sat on the front bench in his role as a minister during a debate on excluding MPs who had sexually abused people from the Commons.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak even campaigned with him during the election despite the victim informing the Chief Whip Simon Hart of the allegations against him.

Mr Bell later threatened the Daily Mail with legal action if it named him before the conclusion of the report.

A list emerged of MPs to avoid for reasons including 'being handsy in taxis' which was circulated among Westminster staffers.

There has been criticism that the service is not dealing with cases quickly enough after it was initially overwhelmed with complaints about MPs.

Last year, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said the current complaints system is falling short.

Whips are the party’s enforcers who ensure MPs vote for Government policy, but they also have a duty of care towards colleagues and are privy to certain information about the private lives of those in their party.

It is a Government role and they are paid ministerial salaries of more than £100,000.

Oxford-educated Mr Bell was elected in 2019 and previously worked as a software architect for a gambling company.