Laura Kuenssberg recounts experiences with British politicians: from a hotel meeting to being touched at the theatre

Laura Kuenssberg, the well-known BBC journalist, has included several uncomfortable experiences with figures in British politics in her new book. She describes instances of harassment and inappropriate behaviour that she says she encountered during her career.

In one episode, a government minister invited her for a drink in his hotel room during a political conference. According to Kuenssberg, when she arrived, the minister’s partner was also in the room, while he was lying on the bed with several buttons of his shirt undone. The journalist finished her drink and left.

When The Times asked whether the minister might have intended to involve her in a threesome, Kuenssberg said it was possible but acknowledged that she could have completely misread the situation. She described the experience as very uncomfortable.

The book also recounts an encounter with a married minister whom Kuenssberg used to meet informally to discuss politics. She says he invited her to the theatre and touched her inappropriately there.

The journalist also mentions a politician who would greet her with a kiss on the head. On another occasion, a member of the House of Lords sent her a message about the outfit she was wearing during a television broadcast; she described the message as “very creepy”.

Kuenssberg has chosen not to reveal the names of the politicians she mentions or the parties they represent. Through these accounts, she describes behaviour she says she encountered while working as a journalist and dealing with senior British officials.