8 Thursday November 25 2021 | the times
News
Boris Johnson has said that parliament
should be “more family-friendly” after
a Labour MP was barred from entering
the Commons with her baby.
The prime minister signalled his
support for Stella Creasy after she was
told that her attendance at a debate in
Westminster Hall was against the rules.
Johnson’s spokesman said: “We com-
pletely understand the difficulties faced
by MPs who are new mothers, new
fathers or adopted parents and parlia-
ment has made some positive changes
to becoming more family-friendly in
recent years, including on proxy voting.
“We want to make sure that all work-
places are modern, flexible and fit for
parents. This is obviously a matter for
the House. I know they have issued a
statement on that, but we very much do
want to see further improvements.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, an-
nounced a review of the rules after
Creasy posted on Twitter an email she
received from a parliamentary clerk in-
forming her of the rule, adding: “Appar-
ently parliament has written a rule
which means I can’t take my well be-
haved, 3-month old, sleeping baby
when I speak in chamber... mothers in
ter, said he had “a lot of sympathy” for
Creasy, saying that politicians needed
to make sure “our profession is brought
into the modern world... [so] parents
can juggle the jobs they do with the
family time they need”.
He added that seeing a baby in the
Commons “certainly wouldn’t distract
me or get in the way of me doing my
job” but it was important for the author-
ities to decide the “right balance”.
However, Scott Benton, the Tory MP
for Blackpool South, replied to Creasy
on Twitter: “Parents who get paid afraction of what you do pay for child-
care and juggle responsibilities so they
can go to work. What makes you so spe-
cial?”
The Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones
said she had been assured by Hoyle that
if she needed to breastfeed her child in
the chamber she could do so.
Creasy said the rules were “bad for
our democracy” and “not a system that
works for anyone who isn’t a man of a
certain age from a certain background”.
She added: “I don’t have the employ-
ment rights to have maternity cover.”Ministers back MP
barred from taking
baby into Commons
the mother of all parliament are not to
be seen or heard it seems.”
The email came from a clerk to Dame
Eleanor Laing, chairwoman of ways
and means and the senior deputy
Speaker. Creasy said that the ban was
“news to me”, and that she had fre-
quently taken her son, who she is
breastfeeding, and before that her
daughter, into the chamber.
After an online backlash, Hoyle said:
“It’s extremely important that parents
of babies and young children are able to
participate fully. The advice given yes-
terday to [Creasy] under the authority
of the chairman of ways and means, of
which I was not aware until last night,
correctly reflects the current rules.
However, rules have to be seen in con-
text and they change with the times.
This House has to be able to function
professionally and without disturb-
ance. However, sometimes there may
be occasions when the chair can exer-
cise discretion, assuming the business is
not to be disturbed.”
Hoyle said that he had been contact-
ed by MPs who have babies “with a
range of views” and that he had asked
the procedure committee, chaired by
Karen Bradley, the former Tory cabinet
minister, to “bring forward recommen-
dations” for MPs to consider.
Dominic Raab, deputy prime minis-Henry Zeffman
Chief Political Correspondent
John Reynolds
Frontbencher
having child
by surrogacy
Steven Swinford Political EditorA Labour frontbencher is expecting to
be the first serving MP to have a child
through surrogacy after speaking pub-
licly about her struggle to start a family.
Liz Kendall, the shadow social care
minister, said that the baby was due in
the New Year and that she would be
“eternally grateful” to her surrogate.
The Leicester West MP, 50, has
previously revealed she suffered two
miscarriages, and won praise for telling
MPs about the “terrifying” symptoms
of menopause she has been experienc-
ing over the past year.
She told the Leicester Mercury: “My
partner and I are delighted to announce
that we will be having a baby in the new
year through surrogacy. It has been a
really difficult time getting here, so we
feel unbelievably lucky and happier
than we ever imagined.
“I’ll be taking leave from work to
make the most of this precious time
with the newest member of our family.
“But I want to reassure my consti-
tuents that my office will remain fully
open throughout, and my whole team
will continue to provide the very best
help and support to local residents.”
Last month Kendall told MPs that
she had suffered severe anxiety, sweats,
exhaustion and hair loss during the
onset of menopause.
In 2013 Baroness King of Bow
became the first peer to have a baby
through a surrogate.HOUSE OF COMMONS/PA
Stella Creasy with
her son in the
House on Tuesday