Woman slams Jeremy Corbyn for supporting Labour candidate Mike Hill despite her claim that he sexually harassed her
- Woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made complaint in September
- Mr Hill had whip removed and stood as independent but has had it restored
- She was infuriated to see Mr Corbyn with Mr Hill in Middlesborough yesterday
- He denies allegations, which he says were withdrawn, but she says still pending
A woman who accused Labour parliamentary candidate Mike Hill of sexual harassment has slammed leader Jeremy Corbyn for supporting him in the election campaign.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was outraged when she saw pictures of Mr Corbyn with his arm around his Hartlepool candidate during a rally in Middlesbrough yesterday.
Mr Hill had the whip removed in September when the woman, who used to work in the House of Commons, says she complained he sexually ‘harassed and victimised’ her.
The allegations were reported to the Labour Party, Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Process and the Metropolitan Police.
Mr Hill, who denied all the allegations, has since had the whip restored and was out campaigning on the eve of the election yesterday.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was outraged when she saw pictures of Jeremy Corbyn with his arm around his Hartlepool candidate Mike Hill (both pictured yesterday) during a rally in Middlesbrough
The alleged victim claims one of Mr Corbyn’s closest allies told her ‘not to make it an issue’ and she has made a complaint against them as a result.
Mike Hill has ‘completely rejected’ the woman’s allegations, but she says she has reported them to police.
She says she asked the Labour Party to ‘park’ her complaint to them because she had lost faith in the process, which is why he was allowed back into the party.
She maintains she has not dropped any of her allegations made to police.
Mr Hill had the whip removed in September when the woman, who used to work in the House of Commons, says she complained he sexually ‘harassed and victimised’ her. He denied all the allegations and had the whip restored
Speaking to The Northern Echo newspaper, the woman said: ‘People in Hartlepool voting have a right to know that this allegation has not been dropped.
‘The ICGS investigation is going full speed ahead. Hartlepool voters seem to be under the impression at the moment that these very serious allegations, nothing has come of them, that Mike Hill has been exonerated, but that is absolutely not the case.
‘The Labour Party should not have reinstated him until this was investigated fully. They are protecting him. They have handled it so badly and completely misconstrued what I said.
‘I am really upset that everyone seems to be protecting him. To know that Jeremy Corbyn had his arm around him today.
‘At the end of the day the law says you are innocent until proven guilty, but people are making a decision based on someone’s character and their conduct and I think they have a right to know there is a complaint outstanding.’
The Labour Party declined to comment but has previously said it takes all complaints of sexual harassment extremely seriously and fully investigates.
It is understood that Labour denied it had formally closed the complaint but had lifted the suspension due to the fact the inquiry had been paused.
Mr Hill was elected the MP for Hartlepool in 2017 and is hoping to hang onto his seat for Labour as voters make their way to the polls today.
Mr Corbyn is pictured with wife Laura Alvez outside his polling station in north London this morning
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