Bury South and Labour’s former foreign office minister, Ivan Lewis, has denied claims he made non-consensual sexual advances towards women.
The claim was made on the website Buzz Feed, though in a statement to the site, Lewis acknowledged his behaviour to “a few women” had been “unwelcome”
A women told the website that as a nineteen year old student, The MP, repeatedly touched her leg and invited her back to his house when she was attending a Labour party event in 2010.
In a statement issued through his lawyer Lewis denied he had sexually harassed anyone and said he had “never made non-consensual sexual comments or sexual advances to women”.
Lewis said he had “good professional relationships and enduring friendships with virtually all my female colleagues.”
“However,” the statement continued, “I understand that a few women have claimed that my behaviour made them feel uncomfortable. I have on occasion asked women I work with out for drinks or dinner, or developed strong feelings for them, and I am genuinely sorry if this was unwelcome or inappropriate in the circumstances, and caused anyone to feel awkward.”
