Calls for probe into Labour’s handling of Carl Sargeant sex claims after his suicide
Friends of the Welsh politician say he was abandoned by the Labour party before he killed himself
LABOUR should face an investigation into how they handled allegations of sexual harassment against Welsh politician Carl Sargeant, a former top watchdog said today.
Friends of the former minister said he had been "thrown to the wolves" by party bosses before he killed himself.
Sir Alistair Graham, ex-chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said Labour must ask a lawyer to probe the claims against him.
A top Corbyn ally initially supported his call - before U-turning hours later and saying an investigation would be unnecessary.
Mr Sargeant, a member of the Welsh Assembly, was suspended by the party after he was accused of "groping, unwanted attention and inappropriate touching".
But he was apparently not told the full details of the claims against him despite asking party chiefs to explain what he was said to have done.
Sir Alistair told the BBC: "You don’t dismiss somebody from a position without first going through due process.
"There is a duty of care. When serious allegations come which may go back many years then there can be a very serious shock to people.
"They have to explain to their family that allegations have been made, they can feel extremely vulnerable."
He added: "I would have thought the sensible thing to do would be to ask a suitably qualified independent person, perhaps a senior lawyer, to carry out a review of how it has been handled both by the Welsh Government and the Labour party."
Shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler told Radio 5 Live the case should be "fully investigated", saying: "It doesn’t sound as though everything that should have happened, happened."
But shortly afterwards she changed her mind as she said in a statement: "After giving an interview this morning, I have looked further into the process followed in this case.
“I am satisfied that the appropriate process was followed, including preserving the anonymity of alleged victims at this stage of the process, and therefore do not feel an investigation is required."
Colleagues of Mr Sargeant expressed concern at the way he was treated by Labour.
Last Friday he was sacked as minister for communities and suspended from the party, although he continued to serve as an AM.
One colleague told the BBC: "It's hard to understand why Carl was thrown to the wolves."
Jenny Rathbone, a Labour member of the Assembly, added: "Clearly, he wasn’t dealt with fairly in the most basic sense. If allegations are made against you, you must know what they are so you can respond to them. That doesn’t appear to have happened."
Leighton Andrews, another close colleague of Mr Sargeant, said: "There are big questions to be asked about the process."
His friend Askar Sheibani, a Labour activist, said he and his wife had been "genuinely worried" about Mr Sargeant after the allegations emerged last week.
He told the BBC: "We knew he couldn't take this kind of pressure, it was a pressure it would have destroyed many people like him."
A spokesman for Welsh Labour did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr Sargeant, 49, was found dead at his home in Connah's Quay yesterday morning.
His wife and children said he was "the glue that bound us together" as Welsh political figures paid tribute to his long career.
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Lib Dems are failing to tackle harassment, Cable is told
The Liberal Democrats have failed in their bid to stamp out sexual assault and harassment in the party, activists told Vince Cable today.
A group of 82 Lib Dem members wrote a damning open letter to the party leader telling him he has not done enough to tackle the issue.
The letter came after the party was accused of covering up an accusation of sexual harassment for months.
The activists wrote: "When a group of young women put forward allegations of sexual assault against a fellow member of the party in July 2017 we expected a thorough investigation.
";Instead the allegations against the accused were not adequately looked into and a suspension only occurred two days ago.
"We wish this were an isolated case, but these stories are common within the party.
"Three days ago, you sent an email to all members pledging to stamp out harassment and assault in the party. Right now the party is failing at this."
Sir Vince responded by admitting that the Lib Dems must do better in handling the harassment crisis.
He : "We have a strong complaints procedure, but if it has failed in this case - and it seems to have on basis of what I've been told, this is not a good story - then we need to learn from experience and strengthen the system."