Labor Member of Parliament Stella Creasy holds her son, Pip, during a debate at Westminster Hall in Parliament, London, on Tuesday, during a video clip from TV House of Commons.
House of Representatives / PA via AP
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House of Representatives / PA via AP
Labor Member of Parliament Stella Creasy holds her son, Pip, during a debate at Westminster Hall in Parliament, London, on Tuesday, during a video clip from TV House of Commons.
House of Representatives / PA via AP
LONDON – Several British politicians demanded changes to the rules of parliament on Wednesday after a lawmaker was told she could not bring her 3-month-old baby into the House of Commons.
Labor lawmaker Stella Creasy said she received a letter from Commons authorities after taking her son Pip to a debate.
She said she had previously brought both Pip and her eldest daughter to Congress with no problems, but was told the rules had changed in September. Members of Congress are now free. recommends that they “shouldn’t take your seat in the room when traveling with your child.”
Creasy says the rule undermines efforts to make politics more family-friendly.
“There are barriers to mothers’ participation in politics and I think that hurts our political debate,” she told the BBC.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, a Conservative, said he had “a lot of sympathy” with Creasy, but said the decision was made by House authorities.
“I think we need to make sure that our careers are embedded in the modern, 21st-century world, and can allow parents to align the work they do with the family time that they can afford. need.” Raab said.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said the infant ban was “absurd”. Newborns are “much less disruptive than many recalcitrant babies,” she said.
House Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said he had asked the congressional procedural committee to review the regulations, noting that there were “different views on the matter.”
“The advice given yesterday … accurately reflects the rules in force. However, the rules must be seen in context and they change over time,” he said.
“It is vitally important that parents of infants and young children be fully involved in the work of this House.”
