Former president of the Cambridge Union, Tim Squirrell, has claimed that a guest speaker at the Union sexually harassed several committee members during his presidency.

In a series of tweets published this morning, Squirrell initially claimed that only one committee member had been involved. However, in a later tweet, he said that the guest had in fact harassed a number of committee members, and that “later committees have had other speakers do similar”.

Squirrell, who was Union president in Michaelmas term 2014, said that he had “failed to act” at the time of the harassment, “informally” asking that the speaker would not be re-invited. After being contacted by Squirrell via email, he said that this term’s committee had “immediately agreed to ensure that he’s not invited back”.

Squirrel said: “I should have [contacted the Union committee] earlier, and I can only apologise for not making sure he was shunned from the Union before.”

He added that his actions made him “complicit in the culture of harassment by figures of status”.

The allegations come after the publication of investigations by The New York Times and The New Yorker into the American film producer Harvey Weinstein led over 40 women to accuse him of sexual misconduct towards them. Concerns have since been raised about the perpetration and cover-up of sexual misconduct by men occupying positions of power in wider society.

Squirrell refrained from naming the guest speaker in question “for fear of libel accusations’.

He continued, “I screwed up. I’m sorry. I can only try not to be complicit again.”

In official statement released on 19th October, the Union said: “Via a number of procedures, the Cambridge Union aims to protect its members, including those on Committee. Whilst this does not include a policy of ‘blacklisting’, the safety of our events is a priority.

“On being alerted to historic claims, the Vice President, Women’s Officer, Diversity Officer and President of the Union have launched a formal investigation in accordance with our existing procedures.”

Tim Squirrell declined to offer comment