Financial Times journalist Madison Marriage reported many instances of groping at the exclusive event. Photo/Financial Times.
Each year, for 33 years, "The President's Club Charitable Trust" has organised a fundraising dinner at London's exclusive Dorchester Hotel to benefit "worthy children's causes".
The guests last Thursday, as in the past, were the elite from Britain's business, finance, fashion, entertainment and political establishments, an "esteemed" group if ever there was one, as the club's website says — esteemed to the man because it was, indeed, a "men only" event.
Men only, except for 130 "hostesses" hired to cater to the needs of the roughly 360 diners.
Among the hostesses this year, however, were two infiltrators: a female journalist from the Financial Times named Madison Marriage and a woman working with her. They applied for hostess jobs and got them, then went undercover to report on the event.
The result was bombshell story in the FT that set off an immediate uproar Wednesday in the House of Commons and promptly caused one high-profile head to roll, namely that of David Meller, the chairman of the event. He stepped down within hours as non-executive director of Britain's Department for Education. At the same time, donors and recipients of donations, as well as politicians, were scurrying to distance themselves from the scandal.
The first giveaway of the seedy behaviour that would unfold at the secretive dinner came even before the reporters got there, while they were being prepped as hostesses.
The job requirements included "tall, thin and pretty", the FT's Marriage reported.
Although the dinner was black-tie only, for the hostesses it was "BLACK sexy shoes, black underwear" and "short tight black dresses", along with a "thick black belt resembling a corset".
The agency hiring them did not say anything about groping. They were told that the men might be "annoying", the FT reported. "You just have to put up with the annoying men and if you can do that it's fine," they were told.
The emcee at the Dorchester event began the evening by welcoming the men "to the most un-PC event of the year".
That gave only a hint of what was to come, as Marriage described it in the story.
"With the dinner properly under way," she wrote, "the hostess brief was simple: keep this mix of British and foreign businessmen, the odd lord, politicians, oligarchs, property tycoons, film producers financiers and chief executives happy — and fetch drinks when required.
"A number of men stood with the hostesses while waiting for smoked salmon starters to arrive. Others remained seated and yet insisted on holding the hands of their hostesses . . . a prelude to pulling the women into their laps."
As burlesque dancers entertained on the stage, dressed in furry hats like those worn by the famous guards at Buckingham Palace, except for the "star-shaped stickers" hiding their nipples, a 19-year-old hostess was asked by a "guest nearing his 70s" whether "she was a prostitute", which she was not, Marriage reported.
One hostess recounted to the FT a scene of "braying men" fondling her bottom, stomach and legs. Another guest "lunged at her to kiss her".
"According to the accounts of multiple women working that night, groping and similar abuse was seen across many of the tables in the room," the FT reported.
Hostesses said men "repeatedly" put their hands up their skirts, and one exposed himself to her during the festivities.
Hostesses who seemed unenthusiastic were prodded by "an enforcement team" to interact with the guests.
"Outside the women's toilets," the FT said, "a monitoring system was in place: women who spent too long were called out and led back to the ballroom."
One unnamed "society figure" grabbed a hostess "by the waist, pulled her in against his stomach and declared: 'I want you to down that glass, rip off your knickers and dance on that table'."
Marriage told the Washington Post in a phone interview that she, too, was harassed but did not include that detail in her story because she wanted to focus on the young women who were abused. "I was propositioned and groped and received some very lewd comments," she said.
She said that after the event, "I genuinely felt incredibly sad and upset by what I had seen, the fact that the upper echelons of our society are operating this way in 2018."
Marriage said she managed to stay in "professional mode" for the rest of the workweek. But then, on the Saturday after the event, "I went to see my parents and I burst out crying".
The other hostesses, who were paid about $211, were between the ages of 19 and 23, many of them students, some actresses, dancers and models looking for a little extra money because their work is unstable, "especially in January when everyone is kind of broke". Marriage said many of the women were "disturbed and alarmed by what they experienced," but others "enjoyed" working the event, especially if "they were doing it with a group of friends, which makes it a lot easier than doing it on your own".
She said she had been tipped off about the dinner. "We had reports from former hostesses that women weren't treated very well," she said. That prompted her to pitch the story to editors at the Financial Times, who gave the go-ahead for an undercover operation only after considering alternatives, she said.
"The investigation isn't over yet," said Marriage. More stories are likely.
The Financial Times, a global paper based in London, is among the most respected news organisations in the world. But it is known more for its precise reporting of global finance and business and its clever columnists than undercover reporting.
After the FT story broke, including undercover video, the outrage was immediate.
In addition to Meller's resignation from the Department for Education, members of Parliament questioned the presence at the dinner of Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi, who is undersecretary of state for children and families. He claimed to have left the event early.
"It is safe to say that Mr Zahawi will not be attending the event in the future," a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May told the Independent.
The deputy leader of Britain's Liberal Democratic Party, Jo Swinson, called the story "simply stomach-churning".
"More than 300 rich businessmen were perfectly happy to attend such an event, which shows what a rotten, sexist culture is still alive and kicking in parts of the business community," she wrote on Twitter. "Time's up on this crap."
Simply stomach-churning: sinister directions dictating what underwear women should wear; blurb suggesting cosmetic surgery would “add spice to your wife”; business demanding a woman rip off her knickers; multiple reports of sexual assault.
— Jo Swinson (@joswinson) January 23, 2018
"I should imagine that the charities benefiting from the event will be appalled that their good name has been sullied in this way," Conservative Party MP Anna Soubry told the Guardian newspaper.
On Twitter, people turned their wrath on the charities as well as on some of the attendees, particularly businessman Meller, who was just honoured by Queen Elizabeth II as a "Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire".
At least two major recipients of funds from the club, including the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, expressed shock and said they would return all previous donations, reported the London Evening Standard. A sponsor of the dinner, WPP, the world's largest advertising group, said it was severing all ties with the event.
Brilliant and horrifying @FT investigation reveals allegations of sexual harassment at Presidents Club dinner, which is co-chaired by DfE director David Meller, who was made a CBE earlier this month... https://t.co/5Ptu9d78QQ
— Freddie Whittaker (@FCDWhittaker) January 24, 2018
Morning London, while you were sleeping our exclusive story on the Presidents Club Charity Dinner was our most read story. Free to read - no subscription needed https://t.co/qBpca0P2JJ
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) January 24, 2018
The President's Club, noting that it had raised "several million pounds for disadvantaged children" at the event, told the FT organisers were "appalled by the allegations of bad behaviour asserted by the Financial Times reporters. Such behaviour is totally unacceptable. The allegations will be investigated fully and promptly and appropriate action taken."
- Washington Post
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