A cross-party review has recommended that MPs should not be allowed to bring babies into the House of Commons chamber during debates. The procedure committee was asked to examine the rules after Labour MP Stella Creasy was told she could no longer bring her newborn son, Pip, into the chamber.
The committee ruled that babies should not be present when MPs wish to observe, initiate, speak or intervene in proceedings, though it acknowledged a 'degree of de-facto discretion' should be exercised sparingly. Creasy criticised the decision, saying the committee 'didn’t speak to a single person outside parliament' and that the rules are 'antiquated'.
The review was ordered by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle in November after Creasy was barred from bringing her three-month-old son into Westminster Hall. Some MPs had supported Creasy, with Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab saying he had 'a lot of sympathy' for her, while Conservative MP Alicia Kearns argued the chamber was 'no place' for a baby.
The committee also backed extending proxy voting for MPs with 'serious long-term illness'. Creasy lamented the lack of progress on maternity and paternity policies in parliament, calling for change by listening to those outside the status quo.
