Labour MPs and campaigners have been contacting peers who voted to block the suspension of a member of the House of Lords following a sexual harassment allegation, telling them that they have undone progress made to tackle the issue in Westminster and "brought shame upon parliament".
Lord Lester of Herne Hill was facing the longest suspension since the Second World War after an inquiry found that he had sexually harassed prominent forced marriage campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera and offered her "corrupt inducements" to have sex with him.
However, peers last week voted 101 to 78 to send his case back to the Lords’ Committee for Privileges and Conduct, claiming that the investigation was "manifestly unfair".
Sarah Champion, MP for Rotherham, who campaigns on issues relating to sexual abuse and harassment, has now written to all 101 peers criticising them for putting the reputation of parliament at stake, and said that those who spoke against the suspension had "brought shame upon themselves and upon parliament".
Other Labour MPs and women's organisations within the Labour party told BuzzFeed News that they had also spoken to members of the Lords to raise their concerns. Bex Bailey, a Labour activist and sexual harassment campaigner who alleged that she had been raped at a party event, confirmed she was contacting peers "to express my disappointment" and urged others to do the same.
Today, the Times also reported that 74 House of Lords employees including clerks, policy analysts, committee assistants, Hansard reporters, and librarians had signed their own letter complaining to the deputy speaker about the decision.
In Champion's letter, seen by BuzzFeed News, she wrote: "The consequences of the vote last week is significant both for the reputation of Parliament, as a safe workplace with rigorous and fair standards of conduct, and for victims, most specifically Ms Sanghera. Ms Sanghera has dedicated a life’s work to against forced marriage and honour-based violence.
"She is a leading voice in the UK on issues pertaining to violence against women and girls. Last Thursday the House of Lords discredited her deserved reputation, questioning her honesty and intentions, in full view of the public. Those who spoke against her brought shame upon themselves and upon Parliament. Of the many eminent lawyers who rose, it was a grave misjudgement that so few recognised the rights of the victim.
"This Parliament should provide an example to parliaments, institutions and workplaces across the world. It is therefore incumbent upon us to ensure privilege is not misused, that the rights of victims are upheld and that due process is followed without prejudice."
Other MPs, including Labour's Jess Phillips, said they had raised the issue in informal conversations with members of the upper house. "Many of us are appalled with the decision and struggle to understand how our colleagues got this so wrong," Phillips told BuzzFeed News.
Bailey said the Lester case was "yet another reason why sexual harassment cases should be handled by independent experts, not friends and colleagues."
A spokesperson for LabourToo, a campaign group that has been working to expose and fight against sexual harassment in the party since Westminster was rocked by allegations last year, told BuzzFeed News the decision had set back progress made by parliament.
"We were dismayed by the decision of peers in the House of Lords to turn down the recommendation to suspend Lord Lester in light of allegations of sexual harassment," they said. "We know that victims are unlikely to come forward unless they know decisions will be made free from political interference. This vote sets back the good progress made in parliament towards introducing a more independent complaints system.
"As we have repeatedly called for, we want to see an independent process that allows those reporting to have faith in the system to take their complaints seriously."
A spokesperson for Labour Women's Network, which supports and trains members for public office, said: "We are deeply disappointed that 29 members of Labour Lords voted to overturn investigators’ recommendation that Lib Dem Lord Lester be suspended following allegations of sexual harassment. We must have zero tolerance for sexual harassment in public life."