Aviva ends CBI membership ‘in light of very serious allegations’
The insurer Aviva has severed ties with the Confederation of British Industry, terminating its membership hours after additional allegations of rape and sexual harassment were made against Britain’s leading business lobby group.
The FTSE 100 company notified the CBI – which claims to represent 190,000 businesses – of its decision on Friday morning, saying the lobby group was no longer in a position to speak for the British business community.
A spokesperson for Aviva said: “In light of the very serious allegations made, and the CBI’s handling of the process and response, we believe the CBI is no longer able to fulfil its core function – to be a representative voice of business in the UK. We have therefore regrettably terminated our membership with immediate effect.”
It makes Aviva, which is headed by the chief executive, Amanda Blanc, one of the first big UK organisations to end its relationship with the scandal-hit group, which hired the law firm Fox Williams to independently investigate a string of allegations reported to the Guardian by more than a dozen former staff.
The letter came only hours after the Guardian reported allegations by a woman who says she was raped by two male colleagues when she worked at the CBI. Sources also said that another woman based at the organisation’s London office was stalked by a male colleague in 2018. Sources said he followed her in person and tracked her online, and that when she complained the CBI launched an investigation.
It is understood the CBI upheld a finding of harassment. However, sources claim the woman was actively discouraged from reporting the stalking to the police and the alleged perpetrator retained his job.
Aviva’s decision is understood to have been made before the most
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