'No children allowed in Commons' – and people just aren't happy about it
The presence of a 13-week-old boy in the House of Commons has triggered a heated debate on social media about children in the Westminster Hall, and how maternity cover is handled in politics. Walthamstow member of Parliament (MP) Stella Creasy brought her 13-week-old Pip to the Commons early this week, where she was later reprimanded in an email about the "Rules of behaviour and courtesies in the House of Commons."
The MP was reminded that she "should not take your seat in the Chamber when accompanied by a child," according to the email she posted online.
"I would like to draw to your attention the fact that this also applies to debates in Westminster Hall," the email read.
Her posting of the email drew a response from Blackpool South MP Scott Benton, who asked what made Creasy "so special" for her not to find childcare.
"Parents who get paid a fraction of what you do pay for childcare and juggle responsibility so they can go to work. What makes you so special?" he said on a reply.
Another reply from Susan Hall, another politician, said: "Yes Stella, mothers have to find childcare in the real world, it's what they do."
Lack of maternity cover
But the problem has since evolved from looking for childcare to how women in politics are not eligible for maternity cover because of the nature of their work – and how they’re pushed to a dead end because they are also not allowed to bring a child to Commons. Creasy said in response to Benton's tweet that she needed to take the baby because "don't have employment rights."
"We don't have employment rights so don't have maternity cover to be able to do juggling, hence needing to take baby with me," she said in a tweet. "But great to hear your support for ensuring mothers can be part of politics. Guess being anti-choice for women is just in your DNA."
She also replied to Hall: "Real world mothers would have maternity cover so they could be with a very small baby. Perhaps rather than making it harder for parenting and politics to mix, join with us in changing the system."
The Walthamstow MP further slammed a poll from YouGov, which revealed that men and women do not agree with bringing babies to the House of Commons chamber.
"Did you ask whether MPs should have maternity cover? Only that's the reason I need to take my baby to work…?" she said as she called out YouGov.
Creasy, in an opinion piece with The Guardian, explained why she was not able to take a leave to take care of her son and why she called out the rule of the Commons.
"Parliament denied me maternity cover on the basis that democracy demands no one else can substitute for me. With little support from the authorities or indeed my own political party, I have worked as best I can while managing the needs of my now 13-week-old son," she said.
She added that it "baffled" her when she was told that she could not take her son with her. But she said that challenging the regulation was for her Constituents who would lose a voice in Parliament by "antiquated rules" and the "brilliant women" who sometimes delay or even abandon politics because of the "status quo."
"There are thousands of mothers out there who have something valuable to add to our politics, and they want to run. For now, they see the mother of all parliaments discouraging mothers and rightly wonder if they will be welcome," she added.
Currently, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle announced that a committee has been formed to examine the regulations on bringing a child to the Commons. Creasy said she welcomes this, "but it is not clear yet how long that will take or indeed what its remit will be."
She is now rallying the public behind a cause called "This Mum Votes" that seeks to support mothers of young children to stand for office to show that "politics and parenting can mix."