Labour MP Liam Byrne to be suspended from Commons for bullying aide

The Labour MP Liam Byrne will be suspended from the Commons for bullying a staff member, after being accused of ostracising the aide and denying them access to his parliamentary account.

An independent panel recommended Byrne be suspended for two days for a breach of bullying and harassment rules after a complaint from David Barker, a former member of his constituency staff, to the independent grievance scheme.

The MP, a former cabinet minister and the Labour party’s candidate in its failed Birmingham mayoral bid, said he was “profoundly sorry” and that he had apologised.

Parliament’s commissioner for standards found he had ostracised his staff member after sending them home in the aftermath of a falling out at the constituency office. Byrne did not appeal against the decision. He was found to have committed a “serious breach” of bullying rules by ceasing contact with the employee for several months and denying him access to his IT account.

“The impact of this behaviour was compounded by the fact that it occurred during the first period of lockdown when the complainant was physically separated from work colleagues, uncertain of his future work status and had undergone a period of ill health,” the panel found.

In the report, Barker said he had a part-time contract but was expected by Byrne to work “for no pay in fear of losing his employment”. He said there were expectations to work 12- to 14-hour days with one day off a week and that he worked “to the point of exhaustion”.

He accused Byrne of using “gaslighting techniques” and said he felt manipulated, abused and undervalued.

The report found Byrne had “sought to present his actions as a reasonable HR strategy in response to this incident”. But it said it did not agree. “It was bullying. He should, as he now accepts, have tackled any misconduct through a proper disciplinary process not by ostracising the complainant.”

Byrne must make a written apology to the complainant and undertake training and take action “to address the causes of his behaviour and weaknesses in the management of his office”.

Byrne said the situation had been a “valuable lesson”. In a statement, he said his actions had “caused distress for which I am profoundly sorry. I have apologised in full to the individual concerned.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the panel for recognising the genuine remorse I felt about the impact on the individual concerned, the steps I have already taken to ensure this never happens again along with the work still to do, and for concluding that I did not deliberately act to delay the investigation.

“This has been a valuable lesson for me and one I am determined to learn as me and my team seek to offer the best possible service and voice for the residents of Hodge Hill.”

A Labour party spokesperson said: “The Labour party fully supports the recommendations of this independent report, including the proposed sanction.”

The GMB branch for members’ staff, representing Barker, welcomed the judgment but said the sanction was “far beneath what is needed to address the abuse”. The union for parliamentary staffers said the decision should have gone further.

Jenny Symmons, the chair of the GMB branch, said Byrne showed “a complete lack of respect or regard while in his employment”. She went on: “The sanction of an apology, a recommendation for training and a suspension of just two days is far beneath what is needed to address this kind of abuse.

“The experience Mr Barker had while working for Liam Byrne MP was horrendous, but sadly not uncommon. MPs have a duty of care for their staff, which we see violated time and time again. It’s time we removed the responsibility of employment from MPs for good and give staff the safety and security at work they deserve.”