Chris Bryant MP says he was abused at 16 by head of National Youth Theatre

<p>Labour minister calls Michael Croft’s behaviour ‘despicable’ and says at least one other friend was targeted sexually</p><p>The MP Chris Bryant has said he was sexually abused as a teenager by the head of the National Youth Theatre, Michael Croft.</p><p>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.</p><p><em>Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, <a href="https://rapecrisis.org.uk/">Rape Crisis</a> offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in <a href="https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/">Scotland</a>, or 0800 0246 991 in <a href="https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/">Northern Ireland</a>. In the US, <a href="https://www.rainn.org/">Rainn</a> offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at <a href="https://www.1800respect.org.au/">1800Respect</a> (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at <a href="http://ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html">ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html</a></em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/03/chris-bryant-mp-says-he-was-abused-at-16-by-head-of-national-youth-theatre-michael-croft">Continue reading...</a>