Geraint Davies: Fellow MP Charlotte Nichols makes allegation

An MP has been accused of putting his hand on the waist of a colleague who said she was warned to stay away from him because he was "a sexual predator".

Labour's Charlotte Nichols claims because MPs such as Geraint Davies were allowed to carry out "lower-level behaviour" they felt "untouchable".

The Swansea West MP totally denies all allegations.

Ms Nicholls, who has represented Warrington North since 2019, described how Mr Davies approached her while she was at a cashpoint in a part of Westminster that has no CCTV.

The Labour Party said he had been suspended following "incredibly serious" allegations of "completely unacceptable behaviour".

To outline the culture in Westminster, Ms Nichols was sat down by some people she knew before being elected, she told BBC's Panorama.

"Someone came in and all the staff started whispering 'he's notorious for being a pervert'," she said.

"I've never been in a place where people have reeled off a list of people who are sexual predators and warned me to stay away from them. That's not normal."

In terms of "all sexual misconduct and harassment", she said the list of those she was warned to stay away from totalled 30.

One of the first MPs she had been warned about when entering Westminster was Mr Davies, and she said: "I had fairly studiously avoided him for most of my first year or so in Parliament.

"There was one evening after a very late vote that we had where I came down to the cash machine to draw some cash out to get a taxi home at the end of the night, and on that corridor there's no CCTV, it's not really that widely used at that time of the evening.

"So, it was quiet and he came up behind me when I was at the cash machine, put his hand on sort of the back part of my waist and said 'I'm glad we get to go home now'.

"At the end of the day, if people are getting away with some of the lower-level behaviour, that person starts to feel like they are untouchable."

The Panorama programme said at least four people have made allegations against the MP, spanning years.

Labour Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield said she was told about Mr Davies's "reputation" the week she first got to Parliament.

"I was warned about him and it was done in an almost jokey way 'oh, that's just him, but just avoid him if you can'," she said.

"Everyone in the Labour Party knew about this man."

Lawyers for Mr Davies told Panorama that he "totally denies" all allegations against him and he was prevented by Labour Party rules from commenting to avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and any future hearing.

However, Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, Caroline Nokes, believes such behaviour is fairly widespread across Parliament.

"I think it's common in all parties. Sexual harassment is very rarely about sex, it's almost always about power," she said.