Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Labour MEP offered £10,000 to have sex with me, claims King

Ben Russell,Political Correspondent
Wednesday 08 December 2004 20:00 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Labour MP Oona King claimed yesterday that she had been offered £10,000 by a Labour MEP to have sex with him. She said the "indecent proposal" offer was made when she was an assistant at the European Parliament.

The Labour MP Oona King claimed yesterday that she had been offered £10,000 by a Labour MEP to have sex with him. She said the "indecent proposal" offer was made when she was an assistant at the European Parliament.

Ms King, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow and a parliamentary aide to the Trade and Industry Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, has been frequently tipped for promotion. She declined to name the man, but said she had told him to "go to hell".

She said: "When I worked as an assistant and speech writer at the European Parliament, another British Labour MEP offered me £10,000 out of his cost allowance if I'd sleep with him.

"I told him to go to hell, and I complained to some other politicians, who had a go at him. But it was because of this same man that I decided to go into politics."

Ms King wrote in the Daily Mirror that he asked her to make a telephone call to his constituency office because he did not know how to dial the UK from Brussels, 10 years after he was first elected. She said Parliament was "stuffed with mediocre men". She wrote: "He said to me: 'Oh Oona love, can you go and ring my constituency office? I don't know how to get through to the UK from here'."

Ms King, 37, a Blair loyalist who worked as an assistant to Glenys Kinnock before entering Parliament, spoke out after researchers found sexist remarks, bullying and intimidation were still part of life for women MPs.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in