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| Presidents Club to close down after claims of harassment at 'hostess' gala | Presidents Club to close down after claims of harassment at 'hostess' gala |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Guests distance themselves from charity and hospitals say they will return donations | Guests distance themselves from charity and hospitals say they will return donations |
| Rob Davies and | Rob Davies and |
| Matthew Weaver | Matthew Weaver |
| Wed 24 Jan 2018 17.46 GMT | Wed 24 Jan 2018 17.46 GMT |
| First published on Wed 24 Jan 2018 12.23 GMT | First published on Wed 24 Jan 2018 12.23 GMT |
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| A charity that counted billionaires, celebrities and politicians among its high-society patrons has been forced to close down after “deplorable” revelations about a men-only fundraising dinner where hired hostesses were allegedly groped and sexually harassed. | |
| Guests rushed to distance themselves from the Presidents Club charity, while beneficiaries including Great Ormond Street children’s hospital vowed to hand back donations, as they reacted to reports of behaviour by wealthy guests at an annual dinner hosted by the comedian David Walliams. | Guests rushed to distance themselves from the Presidents Club charity, while beneficiaries including Great Ormond Street children’s hospital vowed to hand back donations, as they reacted to reports of behaviour by wealthy guests at an annual dinner hosted by the comedian David Walliams. |
| Amid mounting anger at details of an event whose guest list featured luminaries of the British establishment such as the retail tycoon Sir Philip Green and the Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones, the charity announced it would distribute its remaining funds and close down. | |
| The education minister Nadhim Zahawi faced calls to resign for attending the lavish dinner without reporting any concerns, while Theresa May’s spokesperson said she was “uncomfortable” about allegations of what had taken place. | |
| At the Presidents Club event at London’s exclusive Dorchester hotel last Thursday, guests dined on smoked salmon with caviar and 34-day-aged beef, accompanied by Dom Pérignon champagne, before bidding in an auction to raise money for good causes. | |
| But according to an investigation by the Financial Times, members of the all-male guest list subjected some of the 130 women employed as hostesses for the evening to sustained sexual harassment. | |
| An undercover FT reporter, Madison Marriage, said she was groped repeatedly and other women were invited by diners to join them in hotel bedrooms. One of the women, who were selected to serve guests provided they were “tall, thin and pretty”, said an attendee exposed his penis to her. | |
| Two days before the dinner, staff were allegedly informed their phones would be “safely locked away” and were told to wear black underwear to match short, black skirts they were given for the evening. The women were allegedly plied with wine, made to sign non-disclosure agreements and led back to the ballroom if they spent too long in the toilets. | |
| Lots offered in the auction included a night at Soho’s Windmill strip club and a course of plastic surgery accompanied by the slogan: “Spice up your wife.” | |
| Senior figures from the worlds of business and politics lined up to condemn details of the event. Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the business group the CBI, said: “If even half of what’s been written about this event is true, it is deplorable and confirms how far we have still to go to stamp out sexual harassment.” | |
| The Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said: “Is this what these men demand in order to donate to charitable causes? Utterly appalling and shameful.” | The Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said: “Is this what these men demand in order to donate to charitable causes? Utterly appalling and shameful.” |
| Great Ormond Street hospital, which received £530,000 from the Presidents Club between 2009 and 2016, said it was shocked and would return the donations. Evelina London children’s hospital followed suit, rejecting £400,000 pledged last Thursday by the restaurant tycoon Richard Caring, whose name was to be inscribed on a high-dependency unit. | Great Ormond Street hospital, which received £530,000 from the Presidents Club between 2009 and 2016, said it was shocked and would return the donations. Evelina London children’s hospital followed suit, rejecting £400,000 pledged last Thursday by the restaurant tycoon Richard Caring, whose name was to be inscribed on a high-dependency unit. |
| Caring said he was not aware of or involved in any of the reported behaviour, having arrived late at the dinner and left early. | Caring said he was not aware of or involved in any of the reported behaviour, having arrived late at the dinner and left early. |
| The business lobby group the Institute of Directors branded the event “disgusting and deplorable”, while Britain’s biggest trade union, Unite, called for an urgent investigation by the Charity Commission. | |
| Unite also called for the reinstatement of harassment provisions in the Equality Act, which it said had been axed by the Conservatives. The Tory MP Maria Miller, chair of the women and equalities select committee, had earlier called for the act to be strengthened. | |
| The government introduces employment tribunal fees of £1,200, causing the number of cases to drop. It is later forced into a reversal after the supreme court rules the fees are inconsistent with access to justice, following a legal challenge by the trade union Unison. | The government introduces employment tribunal fees of £1,200, causing the number of cases to drop. It is later forced into a reversal after the supreme court rules the fees are inconsistent with access to justice, following a legal challenge by the trade union Unison. |
| The government scraps a legal requirement for employers to protect their workers from abuse by third parties such as clients or customers. | The government scraps a legal requirement for employers to protect their workers from abuse by third parties such as clients or customers. |
| The government abolishes an equality questionnaire that allowed sexual harassment claimants to ask questions about a potential claim before going to a tribunal. In a government consultation before the move, 80% of respondents opposed the proposal. | The government abolishes an equality questionnaire that allowed sexual harassment claimants to ask questions about a potential claim before going to a tribunal. In a government consultation before the move, 80% of respondents opposed the proposal. |
| The Deregulation Act removes employment tribunals' powers to make recommendations for the benefit of the wider workforce following complaints. | The Deregulation Act removes employment tribunals' powers to make recommendations for the benefit of the wider workforce following complaints. |
| In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the Presidents Club trustees said the charity “will not host any further fundraising events. Remaining funds will be distributed in an efficient manner to children’s charities and it will then be closed.” | In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the Presidents Club trustees said the charity “will not host any further fundraising events. Remaining funds will be distributed in an efficient manner to children’s charities and it will then be closed.” |
| The dinner’s guest list was dominated by property industry tycoons, bankers, celebrities and politicians, including Zahawi and the Labour peer Jonathan Mendelsohn. | |
| The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “My understanding is that Mr Zahawi clearly did attend the event briefly and has himself said he felt uncomfortable at it at the point at which the hostesses were introduced by the host.” | The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “My understanding is that Mr Zahawi clearly did attend the event briefly and has himself said he felt uncomfortable at it at the point at which the hostesses were introduced by the host.” |
| A Labour spokesperson said: “Lord Mendelsohn attended part of the dinner as president of a charity that received support from the event. Lord Mendelsohn did not see any of the appalling incidents described in the report but he unreservedly condemns such behaviour.” | |
| A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn said the reports were “appalling”, adding: “It’s a gross example of sexual harassment under this organisation’s umbrella.” | A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn said the reports were “appalling”, adding: “It’s a gross example of sexual harassment under this organisation’s umbrella.” |
| In response to an urgent question in the House of Commons, the education minister Anne Milton said the club’s joint chair David Meller had stood down as a non-executive director of the Department for Education and chairman of the government’s apprenticeship delivery board. | In response to an urgent question in the House of Commons, the education minister Anne Milton said the club’s joint chair David Meller had stood down as a non-executive director of the Department for Education and chairman of the government’s apprenticeship delivery board. |
| The Labour MP Jess Phillips, who posed the question, said: “What happened is that women were bought as bait for men who were rich men, not a mile from where we stand, as if that is an acceptable behaviour – it is totally unacceptable.” | The Labour MP Jess Phillips, who posed the question, said: “What happened is that women were bought as bait for men who were rich men, not a mile from where we stand, as if that is an acceptable behaviour – it is totally unacceptable.” |
| Businesses that supported the Presidents Club, including the global advertising group WPP and the real estate fund manager Frogmore, cut ties with it. | |
| Walliams, who hosted the event, said: “I was there in a strictly professional capacity and not as a guest. I left immediately after I had finished my presenting on stage at 11.30pm. I did not witness any of the kind of behaviour that allegedly occurred and am absolutely appalled by the reports.” | Walliams, who hosted the event, said: “I was there in a strictly professional capacity and not as a guest. I left immediately after I had finished my presenting on stage at 11.30pm. I did not witness any of the kind of behaviour that allegedly occurred and am absolutely appalled by the reports.” |
| A guest list seen by the Guardian included figures ranging from the billionaire Sir Philip Green to the Dragons’ Den entrepreneurs Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis, and Tim Steiner, chief executive of the grocery delivery firm Ocado. | |
| Patrons of the event listed by the Presidents Club included the Formula 1 magnate Bernie Ecclestone, while the property developer Nick Candy was a patron until the end of 2017. | |
| Additional reporting by Sarah Marsh and Jamie Grierson | Additional reporting by Sarah Marsh and Jamie Grierson |
| We are keen to hear from people who work in hospitality and have worked at this or similar events about what it’s like. We are also keen to hear from those who work in the city and in major businesses about whether this behaviour is widespread. | We are keen to hear from people who work in hospitality and have worked at this or similar events about what it’s like. We are also keen to hear from those who work in the city and in major businesses about whether this behaviour is widespread. |
| You can share your story by using our encrypted form here. | You can share your story by using our encrypted form here. |
| We will feature some of your contributions in our reporting. | We will feature some of your contributions in our reporting. |
| Charities | Charities |
| Sexual harassment | Sexual harassment |
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