Toe-curling antics of Labour MPs in 'Pestminster' dossier being used by rivals to stop them getting top jobs in Burnham's government

By GLEN OWEN and GABRIEL MILLARD-CLOTHIER, POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 22:18, 11 July 2026 | Updated: 22:18, 11 July 2026 A 'Pestminster' dossier on politicians accused of inappropriate conduct is being used by ambitious MPs trying to eliminate their rivals for plum jobs in Andy Burnham's government, The Mail on Sunday has been told. The 30-strong list, which will be handed to a member of Mr Burnham's transition team next week, is dominated by well-known Labour MPs and includes a senior minister accused of forcibly kissing a member of his office staff in front of colleagues, as well as a young minister tipped for a Cabinet post said to be sleeping with a fellow Labour MP behind his wife's back. A third name on the list is linked to claims that one MP engaged in a sex act with another in the Reasons Room – a small, soundproofed area directly behind the Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons chamber – while a further individual is said to have 'phoned men and women in floods of tears begging them to go home with them'. Actions such as the hurling of phones in offices or alleged 'pervy behaviour' are also included, as is the case of a male MP sitting naked in a sauna in a party conference hotel. It has been reported that the list will be given 'consideration' as the prime minister-in-waiting selects his top team. Last night one cynical Westminster source described the list as 'less about protecting members of staff and more about eliminating rivals from the race to get a job from Andy'. The source explained: 'It is a combination of hoary old stories from long ago and perfectly consensual relationships, mixed with more serious claims of inappropriate or bullying behaviour.' As the jockeying for position in Mr Burnham's government intensifies ahead of his expected arrival in Downing Street on July 20, MPs are also understood to have made claims to Labour whips – the party's enforcers of discipline – about a Burnham supporter's past relationship with a Conservative in an attempt to discredit them. A list of MPs dubbed the 'Pestminster' dossier will be handed to a member of Andy Burnham's transition team next week Earlier this year, when former Health Secretary Wes Streeting was plotting to stand for leader, one of his most prominent supporters is said to have been warned that her relationship with a Tory MP would be leaked to the Press if she didn't drop her support for Mr Streeting. The first 'pestminster' spreadsheet was drawn up by Labour women working in Parliament nine years ago during the MeToo movement, and led to a storm of publicity that consumed politicos such as Cabinet Office minister Damien Green, who was alleged to have put a hand on a Tory activist's knee as well as sending her an inappropriate text, and then-Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, who admitted touching the knee of a female journalist at a dinner some 15 years ago. The Cabinet Office also investigated the Tory minister Mark Garnier after he went on a trip to buy sex toys with his Commons secretary. It resulted in the creation of a new standards body, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), to investigate bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct. The now former Conservative MP Chris Pincher was found by a parliamentary inquiry to have groped two men in 2022, while a Conservative backbencher, Neil Parish, was accused of watching porn in the Commons chamber in the same year. A parliamentary inquiry in 2022 found former Conservative MP Chris Pincher had groped two men One insider with knowledge of the latest list told The Times: 'We need to keep people safe. 'There hasn't been a list for nine years now. Parliament has changed massively since then and there's been a new intake of hundreds of MPs. 'Women in Parliament deserve to know about potential dangers, and so does Andy.' In an email to all colleagues this week, Mr Burnham pledged to tackle workplace issues for Labour MPs. He said: 'I will lead from the front on culture change, political direction and narrative.' And he vowed to transform the arcane parliamentary whipping system, saying he wanted to 'end the culture of fear' he believes the whips instil. He said they should act like an 'HR department' rather than enforcers to shut down dissent. As well as ensuring that MPs vote in the Commons in line with party policy, the whips have historically kept a 'black book' on their MPs which details the skeletons in their closets which can potentially be used as 'leverage' against them.