A group of 50 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed have met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, demanding “meaningful consequences” for those they claim facilitated and ignored the abuse. The campaign group, Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors, says there are “dozens of individuals who must be held to account” from various eras.
Survivor Jen Mills, who started working at Harrods aged 16, said: “If they think the money is the important factor they are so far off the mark.” The group wants Harrods to release findings of an internal investigation into what staff knew, and calls for more regulation of HR professionals and an explanation of why police and the General Medical Council did not investigate complaints at the time.
Harrods closed its compensation scheme last month after more than 220 people engaged with it, with payments made to 70 people. A Harrods spokesperson said the scheme “represents only one form of redress”, adding: “Our commitment to redress does not end with the application deadline.”
Some survivors, including Mills, did not take part in the scheme, citing concerns about the company still employing people from Al Fayed’s era. Fellow campaigner Lindsay Mason, offered a job at 20 after being spotted on the street, said: “Young people in a corporate environment are fresh meat.”
The group, supported by actor Richard Gere and former victims commissioner Dame Vera Baird, wants an MP-led investigation into why many involved have not been prosecuted. Al Fayed died in 2023 aged 94. Mills said: “We want reform so companies can’t hide behind power and wealth any more.”
