Former Labour councillor leaves party after harassment complaint delays
Rebekah Lewis cites lack of support and progress in complaint resolution
A former Labour councillor has left the party after waiting nearly a year for it to deal with her harassment complaint. Rebekah Lewis, who was a borough councillor for Audley until last month’s elections, says she had been subject to harassment by a male party member for more than two years.
She says she received up to 100 text messages a day from the individual, with the unwanted contact continuing even after she told him to stop. The messages were both political and romantic in nature, and she says she made it very clear that his advances were not welcome.
Ms Lewis, who is the granddaughter of former Newcastle Labour MP Baroness Llin Golding, first raised a formal complaint with the Labour Party in August last year, having already raised the issue locally. But she believes there has been ‘no meaningful progress’ in dealing with the issue since then, with no action being taken against the individual, resulting in her ‘difficult’ decision to leave the party after 18 years.
She said: “Because of my family I feel like I’ve been a part of the Labour Party since before I was born. I still absolutely believe in Labour values and so I’m devastated that I’ve had to make this decision.
“But I felt that if I stayed in the party my mental health would have just spiralled and my two daughters might have been left without a mum – that’s how bad it was.”
Ms Lewis was elected to Newcastle Borough Council in a 2023 by-election, and she says the harassment was going on for most of her time on the authority, and while she was pregnant with her second child. Labour’s safeguarding team advised her to avoid contact with the individual, which Ms Lewis said had a ‘significant impact’ on her ability to carry out her duties as a councillor.
She also reported the matter to the police, but decided against following this up in order to give the party time to deal with her complaint. In April Ms Lewis agreed to the appointment of an independent investigator, but she says she has received no further update on this.
Last month she stood for Labour in the Bradwell ward in the borough council elections, but was unsuccessful in her re-election bid.
She said: “This situation has had a profound impact on me personally and professionally. The alleged harassment has continued throughout my pregnancy and into the post-partum period, at what should have been one of the most important and joyful times in my life. The stress and uncertainty caused by the lack of progress have been considerable.
“I am deeply disappointed by what I consider to be a failure by the Labour Party to properly investigate a serious safeguarding complaint and to provide adequate support while that complaint remained unresolved. It is this lack of action and support, rather than any lack of commitment to my constituents or public service, that has ultimately led me to leave the party.”
The Labour Party says that Ms Lewis only confirmed that she would like to progress a formal complaint in April, and the investigation is ongoing.
A Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures.”
But Ms Lewis insists that the party has known about the issue since she submitted her complaint in August.