A male-only charity dinner in London at which female staff reported being harassed and groped has sparked a furious public backlash.
On Thursday night, the Dorchester Hotel hosted the Presidents’ Club Charity Dinner, an annual fundraising event whose guests are drawn from the highest echelons of business, politics and culture.
Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones, Topshop chairman Phillip Green and undersecretary of state for children and families Nadhim Zahawi were among those on the guest list for the event, which was hosted by comedian David Walliams.
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A Financial Times investigation revealed numerous reports of inappropriate behaviour towards the function’s female hostesses - the only women in sight at the men-only dinner.
Two women hired by the newspaper to pose as hostesses were informed by the agency that they should wear “skimpy black outfits with matching underwear and high heels”, wrote reporter Madison Marriage.
Only applicants judged to be “tall, thin and pretty” were hired to work at the six-hour event, for which they received £150 plus £25 towards their taxi fare.
Before the dinner, the owner of the agency reportedly told one of the undercover hostesses they would “just have to put up with the annoying men”. They were then asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the event.
Interviews with some of the 130 women hired for the event revealed accounts of “groping, lewd comments and repeated requests to join diners in bedrooms”, the FT reports.
One hostess reported a guest exposing his penis in front of her, while others said that multiple guests had attempted to grope the female workers under their skirts.
Meanwhile, “an enforcement team... would tour the ballroom, prodding less active hostesses to interact with dinner guests,” the FT reports, while a security guard posted outside the toilets timed their bathroom breaks.
The Presidents’ Club revelations “expose the normalisation of sexual harassment and objectification of women at a time when - after MeToo - politics, business and the charity sector need to prove they are taking such things seriously,” Sian Norris writes in the New Statesman.
Female MPs from both sides of the aisle lined up to condemn the reports of misogyny at the heart of Britain’s wealthy elite:
Labour MP Jess Phillips was particularly vocal, dismissing the idea that the event’s charitable purpose was a mitigating factor:
For many, the image of wealthy men groping and propositioning younger female serving staff was an acute example of the skewed power dynamics which often underpin sexual harassment.
While the restrictions placed on the hostesses dress and behaviour drew comparisons to Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale.
In a statement, the Presidents’ Club said it was “appalled” by the allegations detailed in the Financial Times article.
“Such behaviour is totally unacceptable,” it said. “The allegations will be investigated fully and promptly and appropriate action taken.”
Nonetheless, the event “has already started to suffer the results of the scoop”, City AM reports, “with Great Ormond Street saying it will return all donations, while Sir Martin Sorrel's marketing giant WPP has also cut ties”.
Walliams too sought to distance himself from the event.
