THE CONFEDERATION of British Industry (CBI), the UK’s biggest business lobby group has suspended its operations until June, after the City’s most influential women led a corporate exodus on Friday night in response to a fresh rape accusation.
The Guardian newspaper claimed that a second woman had filed a rape complaint – against two male CBI co-workers – adding to the number of past severe misconduct charges that had swamped the organisation in recent weeks. This prompted a rush for the escape door.
More than 50 of Britain’s biggest businesses quit or suspended engagement with the group.
Virgin Media O2, The John Lewis Partnership, BMW, and NatWest Group are some of the most recent UK companies to renounce their membership of the CBI.
Aviva, Mastercard, Phoenix, Zurich, Vitality, B&Q owner Kingfisher and People’s Partnership also pulled their membership of the group after the latest in a series of misconduct allegations facing the CBI.
The CBI provided police with information on the most recent rape allegation.
The City of London police this week started looking into a number of complaints of misconduct made by more than a dozen women against CBI management.
In June, an extraordinary general meeting will be convened to consider the organisation’s future and to vote on recommendations for a redesigned CBI. Until then, it will put emphasis on changing its culture.
A spokesman said: “The CBI shares the shock and revulsion at the events that have taken place in our organisation, and at past failures that allowed these events to happen. We are deeply sorry and express our profound regret to the women who have endured these horrific experiences.
“We have listened carefully to what our colleagues, members, and stakeholders have said over recent days and weeks. We have heard loud and clear a demand for far-reaching change.
“We want to properly understand from our colleagues, members, experts, and stakeholders how they envisage our future role and purpose. As a result, we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to suspend all policy and membership activity until an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in June.”
The decision came after a day of unparalleled turbulence at the business group, which for 58 years has served as the voice of Britain’s blue-chip corporations.
It is the second claim from a woman that she was a victim of rape at the organisation that has sparked the latest departures.
The lady said the alleged rape occurred when she was asleep while working at a CBI office abroad after a night out.
She claimed to have no memory of the rape but had recounted in detail the physical symptoms that made her think she had been raped. She was also subsequently shown an obscene photo in the office.
Separately, The Guardian reported on Friday (21) that a female employee at the company’s London headquarters claimed a male co-worker stalked her in 2018.
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