London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Stella Creasy criticises ‘absurdity’ of parliament’s approach to new mothers

Stella Creasy criticises ‘absurdity’ of parliament’s approach to new mothers

Labour MPs comments come after Sir Lindsay Hoyle said it was up to chair of each debate to decide if MPs could bring in babies
Stella Creasy has criticised the “absurdity” of parliament’s approach to new mothers, after the Commons Speaker said it was up to the chair of a debate to decide whether MPs could bring in their babies.

Creasy, a Labour MP who was reprimanded for bringing her baby into a Westminster Hall debate earlier this year, criticised the position of Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, who suggested he and his deputies should use their discretion.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Hoyle said that it should be up to the MP chairing the debate to decide whether the presence of a baby would cause any disruption.

But Creasy rejected this as a solution, saying it would not work in practice because an MP with a baby would have to decide whether to use her proxy vote 24 hours in advance or turn up to the debate and risk being turned away.

“Given there is no published list of who is chairing a debate and I have to give up my proxy a day in advance in order to speak, there is every possibility I could turn up but find when I get to a debate that I couldn’t take part because the chair wouldn’t let me,” she said.

“The whole thing reflects the absurdity of how parliament operates when it comes to new parents and why we need proper maternity cover for MPs and an actual proper maternity policy because in any other workplace creating barriers for pregnant and new mothers would be illegal.”

She highlighted research from Delta Poll that found 57% of people thought there should be proper maternity cover for MPs, and 48% of respondents thought bringing a baby into the chamber should always be acceptable or acceptable in some circumstances, while 39% stated it should never be allowed.

Creasy had asked for clarification from Commons authorities after being reprimanded for having her infant son in a sling as she spoke in parliament last month, saying it had not been a problem on previous occasions.

Commons rules state that MPs should not have children or infants with them in the chamber, but Creasy has taken both of her children into the chamber before without any complaints being made.

Hoyle requested a review into whether the rules should be updated and reiterated his view that the “chair on the day has got to make a decision”.

Referring to Creasy’s son, he said: “I saw that baby come into the chamber when I was in the chair. And did it affect the debate? No. Was it a quiet and peaceful baby? Absolutely. Did it disrupt? Not in the slightest. So did it matter to me? Absolutely not.

“What I would say, and I’ll be quite honest with you, is each chair will make a decision. Unfortunately it’s become highly political.

“It is now for others to decide, that’s why the committee is reviewing it. And I will then have to respect its decision.”

He also said he had asked the cross-party procedure committee to examine the rules and whether changes were needed, and that he and his deputies could use their discretion in applying the existing measures.

The issue caused an outcry when Creasy, the MP for Walthamstow, tweeted an email she had received from Commons authorities, which read: “We have been made aware that you were accompanied by your baby in Westminster Hall earlier today.”

It referred to the latest edition of the Commons rulebook, which says MPs should not take their seats in the chamber with a child.

The email from the private secretary to the chairman of ways and means, the formal title for the most senior deputy speaker, read: “I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this also applies to debates in Westminster Hall.”

Creasy had been leading a debate about buy-now-pay-later consumer credit schemes in the hall, a subsidiary chamber where MPs can raise issues of interest to them.

She has repeatedly argued that MPs should have proper maternity cover so that they would not have to turn up to debates in person in order to properly represent their constituents. They are currently given some money for extra case workers for constituency matters but not to carry out their parliamentary work.

Writing in the Guardian about the argument, she said: “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. That’s why I was baffled to be told I could not take him into parliament with me.

“It doesn’t have to be like this. Whether in New Zealand, Canada or in Europe, parliaments around the world have shown a family-friendly legislature is possible.

“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.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×