LONDON: Several British politicians called for changes to parliamentary rules on Wednesday after an MP was told she could not bring her 3-month-old into the House of Commons chamber.
Labor legislator Stella Cressey said she had received a letter from House of Commons officials after taking her son Pip to a debate. She said she had previously taken both Pip and her eldest daughter to parliament without any problems, but was told the rules had changed in September.
Members of Parliament are now advised not to “take your seat in the chamber when you are with your child.” Cressey said the rule undermines efforts to make politics family-friendly.
“There are barriers to getting women involved in politics, and I think that hurts our political debate,” he told the BBC.
Conservative Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said he had “a lot of sympathy” for Cressey, but said the decision was for House officials to make.
Raab said, “I think we need to make sure that our profession is brought into the modern world, the 21st century, and can allow parents to work with the time they need for their families. “
Green Party MP Carolyn Lucas said the baby ban was “absurd”. She said the children were “much less disruptive than many brave backbenchers.”
