Married Bexhill and Battle MP in '˜drunken fling' claim

Patronia Campbell, 49, claims she had a fling with Huw Merriman MP for Bexhill and Battle, after boozy works drinks in June 2011 when they were colleagues at the administrators of collapsed Lehman Brothers International Europe (LBIE).

But she claims that after she rejected his pleas to have an affair, managing director Mr Merriman, who apparently said he wanted to marry her, subjected her to unjustified criticism of her performance, engineered situations to allow others to criticise her, and also gave her unfair ratings in an annual review.

Ms Campbell, who earned £130,000 a year plus bonuses, is now taking the bank to the East London employment tribunal claiming she was harassed, victimised and unfairly dismissed.

She was eventually signed off work “feeling like a zombie.”

Mr Merriman, who became and MP 2015, married in 2001 and has three young daughters, denies the one night stand took place.

Ms Campbell, who claims Mr Merriman was a notorious womaniser who had a string of affairs, said he wanted to marry her after a Christmas lunch in 2012.

Describing the alledged one night stand Ms Campbell, who said the pair had previously worked together at Greenwich NatWest, told the hearing: “Most people were drunk, as was I.

“Huw Merriman asked me if he could stay at my house as he had missed the last train home, he lives in Sussex.

“As I was living with my friend in Limehouse, I cleared it for Huw to sleep on the sofa and we travelled back. I can’t remember how we got there.

“Huw and I cooked and drank more wine. We discussed our time at Greenwich NatWest, he kissed me after dinner and we ended up in my bed and had sex.

“I woke up in his arms; he asked me if I was ok and I said yes but that it would never happen again.

“He said that he loved me, that he would no doubt become obsessed with me as he ‘knew what he was like’.

“He said that he was ‘turned on’ by me in the office, especially my legs. This remark made me feel queasy. I’d sobered up, I couldn’t believe what had happened.

“I tried to trivialise it, I said we could get past this and that it was not a complete surprise that this happened given our history.

“However, I did ask why he felt the need to do this when he had a lovely wife and children, by all accounts.