The Daily Telegraph Saturday 3 March 2018 *** 19

NEWS REVIEWBryony Gordon Why we still need International Women’s Day Page 21

‘My dad her proverbial prince – fancé Chris FEATURESOverton, who directed the 20-minute dealt better short in which she also stars. with “It’s so bizarre, so surreal,” marvels the 30-year-old, best known for a cancer, two-year stint playing Cheryl Cole- but with inspired Wag Mitzeee Minniver on Channel 4 series Hollyoaks (with her deafness glossy brunette tresses and dimpled I actually smile, Rachel bears more than a passing resemblance to the former saw him X Factor judge). vulnerable’ Despite having already enjoyed a glimpse of what she has to look forward to during the nominees’ luncheon in Beverly Hills last month, where she found herself snapping a selfe with Steven Spielberg and chatting animatedly to The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin, Rachel has yet to fully comprehend that she’ll soon be joining them at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, exclaiming: “I still can’t get my head around that we’re going to the Oscars!” When she does fnally step on to the red carpet this weekend, however, it will be bittersweet. For there is another element of the Cinderella story to which Rachel, an only child, can relate, having lost her father, Geof, when she was just 14. And while Rachel’s “incredibly proud FASHION and excited” mum, Joy, has fown out to Los Angeles to watch her daughter get glammed up before waving her of to the ceremony, Geof’s absence Lisa Armstrong will be acutely felt – not least because it was witnessing him lose his hearing The Oscars should as a result of aggressive cancer treatment that frst set Rachel on her call Time’s Up on path to the Academy Awards. wearing black “I think that was probably the frst time I’d ever seen him vulnerable,” Page 22 she recalls. “My dad certainly found it very difcult to come to terms with, and initially the idea of sign language was an absolute no-go.” Sign language is the central theme of The Silent Child, which tells the story of a profoundly deaf four-year- old, Libby (played by profoundly deaf six-year-old Maisie Sly), who is trapped in a silent world until social worker Joanne, played by Shenton, teaches her how to sign. Tragically, Geof, who was in his late sixties, only came around to the idea of learning sign language shortly before he died, preferring instead to rely on FOCUS lip-reading. He struggled in group situations, however, and increasingly became isolated as he sat out social events. “For men of a certain age, I #LabourToo think it is really hard to accept [losing their hearing],” she says. “My dad Inside the party’s sex dealt better with having cancer: he was very gallant and brave, abuse scandal Page 20 and tackled it head-on. But with deafness, I actually saw Rachel Shenton is him feel vulnerable.” in Los Angeles Having barely had an FEATURE for the introduction to sign Academy language before her Awards father’s death, there ceremony seemed little reason for

Wife swap TUFFS DAN tomorrow Rachel, by then a pretty and charismatic teenager Can switching your hen former with a burgeoning acting Hollyoaks career, to pursue it, which partner really save actress Rachel makes her decision at the age your relationship? Shenton walks of 16 to enrol in an evening down the class at a local college all the Page 25 ‘Being up for an red carpet at more remarkable. By the time the Oscars tomorrow in a custom- she was acting professionally, Wmade Suzanne Neville gown, it will with small roles in television be a bona fde Cinderella moment dramas such as Holby City – albeit one with a modern twist. and Waterloo Road, she had For rather than relying on a fairy also begun volunteering as a Oscar is surreal’ godmother to make her dreams qualifed British Sign Language come true, Stafordshire-born interpreter and working with Rachel, whose screenwriting debut, a local charity, dDeafinks, The Silent Child, will be competing in Stafordshire. Previously known for a role in ‘Hollyoaks’, Rachel Shenton tells for Best Live Action Short Film at “I still consider my dad the ceremony, not only got Karen Yossman how losing her father led her to Hollywood herself to the ball but also Continued on page 20 20 *** Saturday 3 March 2018 The Daily Telegraph FEATURES Inside Labour’s sex-abuse scandal

The liberal Left prides itself on championing equality, but a new dossier shows many are hiding bad behaviour behind a ‘good’ facade. By Rosa Silverman he was a young Labour hard to ignore one particular thread Party worker; he was an within these latest allegations: that of older Labour MP. When ostensibly liberal men hiding in plain he ofered to take her out sight behind the moral purpose of for lunch she was keen, their work. as she was an admirer of Lest we forget, Weinstein himself his. “After lunch he tried to kiss me,” was once a champion of women’s Swrote the woman. She awkwardly rights. Last January, he joined in laughed it of: “He was at least 30 the women’s march at Park City in years older than me – it never crossed Utah; last June he and the Weinstein my mind that that was his intention.” Family Foundation donated $100,000 The two ended up working in (£72,500) to Rutgers University, next-door ofces, which seemingly New Jersey, to help establish a post gave the MP the chance to step up his named in honour of America’s most advances and regularly make lewd prominent feminist – the Gloria comments about what he wanted Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, her to do to him, she says. “He’d do it Culture, and Feminist Studies. with humour, which made it hard to Concealing bad behaviour behind know what to do. People shrugged it a good facade has precedent. This of and said he was just like that.” week, a revealing anecdote about Bill This is just one of 43 stories, claims Clinton was recounted in the press: at of harassment, abuse and even rape the Labour Party conference in 2002,

by members of the Labour Party organisers were at a loss as to which THE TELEGRAPH FOR CROWLEY ANDREW IMAGES; GETTY contained in a dossier submitted woman they should sit the former to leader Jeremy Corbyn. The US president with at the fundraising the party’s reputation than in acting on assaulting a woman in her thirties accusations are more specifc. “It alleged victims, who reported their dinner. “Can’t be young. Or attractive. ‘I was told the principles they’ve espoused. One at Harvard University in 2015, he came from every level of the party experiences anonymously to the Because of… well, you know,” an not to senior Labour source tells me: “When admitted to “inappropriate” behaviour and every age group,” says the campaign group LabourToo, come unnamed minister told a journalist at you work in an organisation you’re while working for Save the Children. 30-year-old co-founder I spoke to. from all levels of the party; likewise the time. In other words, presumably, pursue committed to it in a values sense, you Kelvin Hopkins, the Labour MP “Part of the reason we’re so keen their alleged assailants. he (still) could not be trusted to behave can have people saying ‘think about the for Luton North, was suspended to see change is that we believe in “Ever since Wednesday [when around women. Challenging him my reputation of the organisation,’ [when from the party in November while Labour values and equality and news of the dossier broke], we’ve had was made harder by the fact that, as complaint a misdemeanour is reported]. The Left an investigation was carried out into should be leading on certain things.” more Labour women contacting us Monica Lewinsky put it in a 2014 Vanity has prided itself on being on the side allegations of sexual misconduct One woman who did not submit saying ‘the same thing happened to Fair article: “Bill Clinton had been a if I of women and equality and sought against him, which he denied. her story to the project tells me: “I me’,” says one of the six co-founders president ‘friendly’ to women’s causes.” to brand itself [thus], so you’d hope Jared O’Mara, the Labour MP for was assaulted by a Labour member of LabourToo, set up to “build a It is the disconnect between the wanted a men within the Labour Party would Shefeld Hallam, was suspended in who was infuential in the party. compendium of the types of abuse public face of these men and their behave better.” October after the emergence of sexist It took more than one incident to women face which all too often are unsavoury actions that makes them future in And yet, demonstrably, they comments he’d made on social be reported before any action was ignored or swept under the carpet”. so hard to tackle. Many refuse to the party’ often don’t. Jess Phillips, MP media 10 years earlier, and further taken. Those who had protected him Such incidents are not, of course, acknowledge it when systematic abuse for Birmingham Yardley and claims of sexist language (which remain in post. I expected support, restricted to Labour. Since last occurs within organisations such as chair of the Labour Women’s he denied). He resumed his duties but instead found myself repeating autumn, when the Harvey Weinstein the Labour Party or Oxfam, which have Parliamentary Party, alleged 12 weeks later. my story multiple times (and every scandal broke, similarly sordid a declared moral purpose, because last August that “well-meaning, In 2013, the Socialist Workers’ time to a man) who suggested allegations have surfaced across Higher standards: no one wants to take down a “goody”. left-leaning” men were Party was almost torn I might not want to pursue my Hollywood, Westminster and, most ‘well-meaning, The values that underpin a brand like worse than those apart when a series of complaint if I wanted a future in recently, a number of charities. Left-leaning’ men Oxfam – one of the charities implicated labelled by another rape allegations were the Party.” What each scandal has in common have recently faced in a sexual abuse and exploitation as “the out and out reportedly dismissed Change is slowly coming: in the is the abuse of power that lies at its accusations about scandal – are a key part of its identity. sexists of the right”. and not passed on to wake of the MeToo and Time’s Up heart. Most of the time, though not their behaviour, When women do tell their stories, Some have already police, prompting a movements, increasing numbers of always, those abusing that power including Brendan those to whom they report them are made headlines: string of members to women are no longer agreeing to are male, their victims female. It is Cox, pictured often more interested in preserving Brendan Cox, quit. Ayesha Hazarika, being silenced to protect a greater the husband of a former Labour spin cause. As Lewinsky wrote in a more murdered MP Jo doctor, wrote in recent Vanity Fair article: “One Cox, recently quit October: “Most of my of the most inspiring aspects of two charities he set female colleagues this newly energised movement up in her memory have experienced is the sheer number of women after allegations some kind of who have spoken up in support of sexual assault harassment, and of one another. And the volume were made public. I have too.” in numbers has translated into While Mr Cox denied The LabourToo volume of public voice.”

Opening up: Shenton with her six-year-old co-star, Maisie Sly, in The Silent Child

under-qualifed”), she had to contend with the flm’s shoestring budget, which meant that as well as writing and starring in it, other roles were forthcoming. “I was chief fundraiser and chef at some point,” she quips. Chris, an actor and flmmaker whom she frst met seven years ago when he had a walk-on part in Hollyoaks, stepped up as director, learning enough sign language to enable him to communicate with Maisie. “He didn’t want it to go through an interpreter so he learned the basics,” Shenton says proudly, adding that he is still keeping up with signing and has even brought several instruction books to LA. Whether or not The Silent Child CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 daughter to learn to sign – let alone wins an Oscar, Rachel couldn’t have learning it themselves. envisioned a better outcome than the “There is a huge lack of education journey the flm has had so far, given very lucky because he had a voice. regardless of your social standing on its primary goal was always to raise He had hearing all his life so he knew this subject and I just wanted to show awareness. She’s already fnished the how lip patterns sounded, he knew that it doesn’t discriminate,” Shenton frst draft of a feature-length version how words sounded, so lip-reading says passionately, recalling one young and has more screenings planned was easier for him,” Rachel says. man she met whose parents, both for the short, including two in the “And the more I got involved with the doctors, never learned sign language. Houses of Parliament, which she deaf community, the more I started I ask, aghast, how they communicated hopes will convince “educational thinking, ‘Oh my God, imagine if he with their son. “It happens all the movers and shakers” to initiate never had that.’ ” time, you wouldn’t believe it,” comes legislative changes to provide deaf It was this revelation that caused her quiet reply. “He’d point at what he children with more support. her to focus her campaigning on wanted for his dinner.” Then, of course, she and Chris better provision for deaf children, the If such stories gave her the have a wedding to plan. “I’ve not overwhelming majority of whom are inspiration to conceive The Silent had any time to think about [it],” she born to hearing parents. Child, it was her fancé Chris, 29, laughs. “But we will. People keep In one particularly poignant scene in who gave her the push she needed to saying ‘What’s next?’ and we’re like, The Silent Child, Libby sits at her desk write it. As well as battling impostor ‘We’re going to plan a wedding!’” daydreaming while a teacher gives syndrome (she says she felt “hugely While her nuptials will be the class a spelling test. It’s a scene, another occasion where her father says Shenton, which is replicated in ‘My dad lost his is sorely missed, there’s no doubt schools around the country that don’t The Silent Child has proved to be a have the resources to supply deaf hearing, but he still cathartic experience, not to mention children with sign language teachers a wonderful tribute. Had he been and interpreters. “If children know sign had a voice’ alive to see it, Shenton hopes it language, then we have a chance of one would have helped him come to day wiping out all the isolation and all terms with his hearing loss. “I the misconceptions about deafness,” had a moment yesterday where I she says, pointing out that deaf children thought none of this would have can grow up to do almost anything been possible without him,” she says hearing children can do if provided contemplatively. with the right support. “It felt like such a sad thing at the That lack of support, she is also time and it is. But something really – keen to stress, is unrelated to wealth hopefully really – positive has come or education. In The Silent Child, from that,” she continues, “so I hope which is loosely based on experiences if he can see me, he’s really proud.” recounted to her by deaf friends, Regardless of what the Academy Rachel deliberately portrays Libby’s decides, how could he not be? family as well-spoken and middle class. Yet despite their advantages, they have Inspiration: Shenton’s father lost his thesilentchildmovie.com little interest in encouraging their hearing following cancer treatment