Who is Ivan Lewis? Labour MP suspended over sexual harassment claims
Former minister was put under a Labour probe after being hit by accusations from five different women
IVAN Lewis is a Labour politician and MP for Bury South.
The former International Development Secretary was suspended by Labour after claims of sexual harassment were made against him. Here's what we know.
Who is Ivan Lewis?
Ivan Lewis, born 6 March 1967, has served as a minister and shadow minister for much of his time since being elected to parliament in 1997.
The Man City fan grew up in the constituency he represents in south Bury, Gtr Mancs, and worked in the voluntary sector before becoming a politician.
He has been seen as a Labour moderate, championing the One Nation Labour motif under Ed Milliband's leadership.
Lewis put his name forward for selection as Labour's candidate for Mayor of Manchester, but was pipped by Andy Burnham who went on to with the election.
Why is he being investigated by the Labour Party?
Lewis became the tenth MP under investigation over claims of sexual harassment after Labour launched an inquiry in November 2017.
It came after a formal complaint was made to Labour about Mr Lewis.
The party launched an investigation, but did not immediately suspend him.
A week later on November 23, a Labour spokesman announced the party had withdrawn the whip from the former minister, saying it took all allegations "extremely seriously".
The probe was triggered by a formal complaint from a woman who claims he repeatedly stroked her leg at a fundraiser when she was 19 in 2010.
But the decision came as four other separate women came forward to make staggering claims about the Labour veteran.
One said he called her gorgeous during a job interview last year, started playing footsie with her and smiled: “Didn’t [xxx] warn you about me?”
Another claimed members of Ed Miliband’s office discouraged her from making a complaint when she was upset by Mr Lewis – telling her she’d receive unwanted media attention.
The bombshell revelations come just a week after the father of two apologised for his past behaviour after the initial report about the 2010 fundraiser.
But internet site Buzzfeed revealed four other women had come forward with their own harrowing experiences about the 50 year-old.
A lobbyist and Labour member said at the end of a dinner he asked if she’d like to go back to his flat with “have champagne”.
She told Buzzfeed: “I was pretty horrified and said no.
“Rather than being embarrassed to have got it so wrong, he instead asked me ‘why not?’ I said ‘because I don’t want to’.
She received three more texts from him over the next week.
Another former staffer said she informally told members of former Labour leader Ed Miliband’s team that she had received unwanted texts from Mr Lewis. She was advised a formal complaint could end up with her appearing in the media. “That put me off doing anything about it.”
A spokesperson for Ed Miliband’s office said he was “concerned by these allegations”.
In a statement, Ivan Lewis’ lawyer said: “Mr Lewis has previously acknowledged that on some occasions his invitations to people he works with to join him for dinner or drinks have made them feel uncomfortable.
“He apologises if this caused them discomfort and if he underestimated the impact his invitations to drinks or dinner could have.
“He has always sought to behave with integrity and is genuinely sorry if he got it wrong in some circumstances.
“He fully supports the rights of women to raise these issues, and stresses his commitment to equality and fairness in the workplace.”
