John Prescott accused of presiding over bullying and behaving inappropriately to staff

By Jon Swaine Published: 7:00AM GMT twenty-three February 2010

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The former emissary budding apportion shielded Gordon Brown after the National Bullying Helpline (NBH) claimed it perceived calls from beleaguered staff at No 10.

Asked by the BBC either Mr Brown ever bullied or was aggressive, Mr Prescott said: "No, not for a moment. I dont think thats so.

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"Has he got a style, has he got a persistence, has he got to pull home his point? Yes he does but people have been well known to contend that about me, too."

In Jan 2006 the cabinet of MPs that oversaw Mr Prescotts dialect reported that it was "particularly concerned" about the issue of bullying between his polite servants.

"10 per cent of staff felt they had been bullied in the past year, 8 per cent had experienced taste and 6 per cent reported harassment," the cabinet found.

"Twenty-two per cent of staff had witnessed occurrences of astray treatment, and a incomparable suit of Black or Black British staff (14 per cent) had experienced taste than alternative staff.

"Disabled respondents were some-more expected to have experienced taste at work, or to have witnessed astray treatment," the cabinet added.

Sir Paul Beresford, a Conservative part of of the committee, pronounced at the time: "Staff are being bullied by some-more comparison people and one gets the sense it comes from the top.""

The cabinet concluded: "The Department should take stairs rught away to strengthen the summary that bullying and danger is unacceptable."

A orator for Mr Prescott pronounced at the time: "Our jot down on bullying is no worse than the rest of government. You have got to recollect that one man"s strong government opening criticism is an additional man"s bullying."

Mr Prescott yesterday stressed that the bullying had zero to do with him or his youth ministers and that he had taken caring to safeguard the complaint was addressed.

Christine Pratt, the NBH arch executive, additionally told BBC Radio 4 yesterday that the NBH had perceived dual complaints about bullying from staff in the emissary budding ministers office.

Mr Prescott was the last emissary budding apportion and quiescent with Tony Blair in Jun 2007.

Yet Mrs Pratt after referred to to Channel 4 that the complaints were done in "the last eighteen months" during that time the bureau did not exist call claims from Mr Prescott that her report was unreliable.

Mr Prescott additionally faced allegations in 2006 of crude poise towards Tricia McDaid, a former Labour press officer.

Miss McDaid purported that Mr Prescott once "jumped" on her and forcefully attempted to lick her at a celebration in 1992, prior to she began operative for Labour.

"He pulled my skirt out, looked down my tip and pronounced "What have you got on underneath there, how come you can"t see anything?"," Miss McDaid told a newspaper.

She after worked for the celebration and assisted Mr Prescott in his genius as Transport Secretary.

"He was a boastful, arrogant, nasty pig," Miss McDaid added. "He only jumped on you when he felt similar to it at a party. He had no manners whatsoever. Several times I scarcely slapped him in the face.

It was purported that Miss McDaid began wearing trouser suits to equivocate inapt hit from Mr Prescott whilst at work.

Mr Prescott pronounced at the time the allegations were "completely and definitely untrue". He steady this rejection when asked for criticism yesterday.

The allegations from Miss McDaid came before long after Mr Prescott certified to carrying an event with Tracey Temple, his diary secretary.

Miss Temple claimed that the span used Mr Prescotts Whitehall bureau and beauty and foster home to lift out their relationship.

She pronounced they visited the flat, in Admiralty Arch, rught away after in attendance an Iraq fight commemorative service. Mr Prescott pronounced at the time: ""I did have a attribute with her that I regret."