The Bar Council has issued a warning over Harriet Harman’s review of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the bar after confidential material was leaked to Channel 4 News.
In a statement today, the Bar Council said Channel 4 News aired interviews with three complainants in the disciplinary case of Jo Sidhu KC – which is currently subject to appeal – and an interview with Harman, who was commissioned by the representative body to conduct a review.
‘The news item covered very serious issues around sexual harassment and the culture at the bar – issues that the Bar Council is deeply concerned about. Bullying and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated at the Bar.
‘The Bar Council encourages barristers and chambers professionals to continue to report inappropriate behaviours they have experienced or witnessed. We recognise how difficult it is for complainants to come forward, especially to report sexual misconduct. Links to support are provided below.
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‘In the news item, presenter Cathy Newman said she had seen a draft of Harriet Harman’s report. We understand that, as part of the fact-checking process, the review team shared some draft content of the report (not a full report) with a number of individuals who have given personal evidence to the review. Unfortunately, some of this confidential content has been shared with Channel 4 News.
‘Anything shared with the media or online at this stage is from early draft content, which may change significantly, and therefore may contain errors and inaccuracies.’
The Bar Council said it looked forward to hearing the review’s recommendations and findings ‘later this year’. Harman is due to speak at the bar’s annual conference in Birmingham tomorrow. She told Channel 4 News that misogyny at the bar is widespread and wholesale is reform is needed.
