The MP Chris Bryant has said he was sexually abused as a teenager by the head of the National Youth Theatre, Michael Croft.
The Labour MP, who is an arts and telecoms minister, said he was 16 when he was abused by a 40-year-old Croft, who died in 1986.
In an interview with the Sunday Times before the publication of his memoir, Bryant said Croft invited him to dinner every evening while he was attending company rehearsals in London during the summer of 1978, and that they would go to his house afterwards.
He recalled coming back from the toilet one evening at Croft’s house to find his host naked except for a silk robe. He said Croft then asked him for oral sex, which he felt he had no option but to go through with, leaving him feeling as if he was “a 16-year-old whore”.
“I don’t like telling this very much because I’ve not told it very often,” Bryant told the newspaper. “It was always the same Italian in King’s Cross. He would eat and drink, I would eat, then he would theoretically give me a lift home, except I always ended up at his house.”
Bryant says Croft never made an advance towards him again and that they remained friends. Bryant, who is an ordained minister, conducted Croft’s funeral.
“He behaved absolutely appallingly, it’s despicable,” Bryant said. “Michael, in my case, managed to spot somebody who was gay at a time when nearly all homosexuality was illegal – certainly very frowned on – so presumed that people would keep a secret.”
He said he had at least one other friend during his National Youth Theatre days who was also abused by Croft and “has been sort of destroyed by it all”. Others have previously come forward to the company with allegations of abuse against Croft.
Bryant told the newspaper that during his years in Westminster he had been sexually assaulted by five male MPs, although he has not named or reported them.
“There was no system for doing so and I was frightened it would make me look bad,” he said, adding he felt homophobia in parliament has declined during his 24 years as an MP.
A statement on the National Youth Theatre website said: “We are grateful to Chris Bryant for disclosing to our team the historical abuse he suffered in the company in the 1970s. We are very sorry that this happened to him and to others who have previously shared with us their accounts of historic abuse by the same perpetrator.
“As we set out in a public statement on the case in 2017, we stand in solidarity with all victims of abuse and encourage anyone who has experienced abuse, no matter how long ago, to speak to someone and access support.
“In this case the perpetrator has been deceased since 1986, but all reports made to us will be dealt with in accordance with our robust and formalised safeguarding policy and practice.
“While Chris writes he doesn’t feel damaged by what happened, we recognise that being subjected to an abuse of power can have lasting consequences for many, in different ways.
“Anyone getting in touch will be listened to and treated with care and respect by trained professionals, in line with our certified trauma-informed practice.
“We are grateful to Chris for his support of our organisation today, and acknowledgment of how different a charity we are in 2025 to the one he encountered in the 1970s, with thorough safeguarding practices and policies in place.”
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Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
