Events | 2010.02.22
Patrons resign from bullying helpline
Founder of anti-bullying charity pilloried for revealing charity had received calls from Downing Street
The founder of a bullying helpline was roundly pilloried today for revealing that her charity had received calls from people working within Downing Street and was accused of being part of a politically motivated plot to destabilise Gordon Brown.
Three patrons of the National Bullying Helpline – Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, TV presenter Sarah Cawood and workplace stress expert Cary Cooper – quit today at the behaviour of Christine Pratt. There were also reports tonight that a fourth patron, Tory councillor for Hillingdon Mary O\'Connor, had resigned – which would leave the charity without any patrons.
The charity commission also said it was launching an investigation into the helpline because of complaints it had received in the last 24 hours.
But despite the criticisms, Pratt insisted she had been right to speak up and hinted that further complaints had been made from employees at the heart of government.
She also strongly denied that she or her Swindon-based organisation were politically motivated or she had been in touch with the Conservative party before she went public with the allegations.
With the row showing no signs of abating, Pratt said she had spoken out because she felt that the government was not taking complaints about bullying seriously. But she also went on to admit the allegations made about bullying may have been without foundation or "imaginary" and emphasised that nobody had directly accused the prime minister.
Speaking to the Guardian, she suggested that more allegations may have been made by staff working close to the prime minister since the furore erupted on Sunday.
"I understand there may be more coming down the line. I have to look at it. There are some issues I need to get my head around."
Asked if she would try to persuade any of the supposed complainants to come forward she said: "I may very well do that. I will be giving that very serious consideration. I will seek advice from trustees and colleagues. I\'m damned if I do and damned if I don\'t now."
Pratt spoke as she was criticised by Tory and Labour MPs, and as patrons of the helpline walked away, saying they had resigned because of the way she had put the charity in the spotlight.
Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational psychology and health, resigned this morning, saying that Pratt had not been "very wise". He added: "It is supposed to be a confidential helpline."
Cawood followed suit hours later, saying she felt she had no choice but to distance herself from the charity.
"I agreed to become a patron of the National Bullying Helpline because I believe that bullying – in any form and against any person, regardless of position or power – is wrong.
"However, in light of the recent events where confidential phone calls were made public, I feel it is no longer a campaign with which I would like my name to be associated. I have therefore decided to resign as a patron of the National Bullying Helpline with immediate effect."
It has also been reported tonight that Tory councillor for Hillingdon Mary O\'Connor has departed.
Pratt, who set up the hotline in 2003 with husband David, admitted that she was "shocked" and "emotionally drained" after finding herself at the centre of a storm.
She described how she had been expecting a quiet Sunday, but that changed when her husband was out walking the dog in the morning.
Pratt emailed a local BBC radio station after hearing Peter Mandelson being interviewed by Andrew Marr on Sunday morning. She said she thought the business secretary hadn\'t taken the claims of bullying seriously.
Elaborating to BBC reporters, Pratt claimed that her organisation had been contacted by people working at No 10, sparking a huge political row.
Lord Mandelson claimed that a "political operation" had been launched and the charity\'s links to the Tory party came under scrutiny; its headquarters are two doors down from a Conservative office, and it boasts the Conservative grandee Ann Widdecombe as a patron. The front of the website includes a commendation from David Cameron.
But Pratt said she had "absolutely no contact" with Conservatives before making her comments.
She said: "We\'re not politically motivated. If we were politically motivated we might be very rich. We\'re not. We receive no government funding. This charity is a poor charity."
Pratt said she was not a member of the Conservative party and it was just a coincidence that there was a Tory office two doors down.
Pratt admitted she was still sketchy about the details of how many people from No 10 had made complaints.
She said: "We have received three or four calls from the prime minister\'s office or deputy prime minister\'s office over the last 18 months or so. I haven\'t got the details in front of me, I will need to dig them out."
Pratt went on to say that one was someone who downloaded information from the website – and could have been doing so for research purposes. But she said she personally had phoned one complainant back.
She continued: "This isn\'t about those three or four calls. The reason we contacted the local media on Sunday was because we were concerned that an employer here, and No 10 no less, was going into instant denial when allegations of bullying were levied and that is not how an employer ought to behave in 2010."
Pratt was keen to emphasise that neither she nor the complainants had accused Gordon Brown directly.
"They have not said Gordon Brown is a bully. We aren\'t saying Gordon Brown is a bully. We are concerned there was a dismissive approach."
Pratt denied that she had broken rules of confidentiality. "I know some are calling for my resignation. I don\'t believe I\'ve done anything wrong. I haven\'t disclosed details or names."
Ann Widdecombe, said it was crucial to respect callers\' anonymity. "I wish she hadn\'t done it," she said.
Pratt, however, remained defiant tonight. She insisted: "I would do the same again."
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/[...]llying-helpline-patrons-resign
