London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Westminster reform: Lindsay Hoyle and Andrea Leadsom call for urgent changes

Westminster reform: Lindsay Hoyle and Andrea Leadsom call for urgent changes

Senior MPs have called for a drastic overhaul of Westminster's culture, amid concerns over sexism and inappropriate behaviour by politicians.

House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said "radical action" and a review of working practices was needed.

And former Leader of the House Dame Andrea Leadsom called for Parliament to get its own human resources department.

The calls for change come as a number of MPs are facing claims of bullying and sexual misconduct.

Business Secretary Kwarsi Kwarteng told the BBC he did not think the Commons was a dangerous place in general for women to work, but said there were some "bad apples" who had to face consequences.

Politicians' behaviour has come under greater scrutiny in recent weeks, with several revelations and claims of wrongdoing.

On Saturday, Conservative MP Neil Parish resigned after admitting he had watched pornography twice in Parliament.

He told the BBC it had been a "moment of madness" and what he had done "was absolutely, totally wrong".

Mr Parish's resignation will trigger a by-election in his constituency of Tiverton and Honiton in Devon, which is a safe Conservative seat.

Tory MP Dame Andrea - who in 2018 spearheaded the creation of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), to which Mr Parish's case had been referred - told the Sunday Times she believed it was not fit for purpose.

She explained this was because it had not been able to employ enough investigators, meaning it took "too long" to deal with cases.


What people in Neil Parish's constituency are saying


By Ewan Murrie, BBC Devon

There's a sense of relief in Tiverton and Honiton that Mr Parish has resigned, with even some loyal supporters saying his position had become untenable. Many feel his indiscretions have brought shame on the constituency.

But many voters seem sorry to see Mr Parish go, after an otherwise impressive political career. One man told me he'd written to the MP to thank him for his decade of service.

Nobody, however, is arguing that his actions were appropriate or acceptable.

With the by-election looming, I suspect, based on conversations, that few Tories would withdraw their support for the party because of Mr Parish.

But some said they were looking elsewhere because of dissatisfaction with the government.

Meanwhile, Sir Lindsay questioned whether MPs should be employers of their own staff and asked whether an outside body could act as employer, as long as the MP was still able to choose their office personnel.

He said work was under way to establish a Speaker's Conference - a cross-party investigation into the issues involved - as soon as possible.

"I take recent allegations of bullying and sexual impropriety, comments and advances, very seriously," he added.

But Labour MP Chris Bryant, who chairs the Commons Committee on Standards, said Sir Lindsay's idea "wouldn't address any of the issues we've faced this week".

He told BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House that a "culture of impunity" was "the real problem in Parliament".

Mr Bryant said that one MP who had abused him "15, 18 years ago" was still in Parliament, but added: "I dealt with the situation back then. I don't feel the need to pursue anything."


'Safe and respected'


Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told Sky News his party was "happy to participate" in a Speaker's Conference, saying: "There's a cultural issue that we have to get to grips with. Cultural change has to be led and modelled from the top."

And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told BBC One's Sunday Morning that Parliament collectively had to "step on this misogyny and sexism".

"We need to make women and girls considering coming into politics know that they will feel safe and respected."

Asked whether the Commons was a safe place for women to work, Mr Kwarteng told Sunday Morning: "I think it is. I think you've got to distinguish between some bad apples, people who behave badly, and the general environment.

"It's very similar to when people say, 'Oh well, there are a number of racist people in this country, so that means the whole country is racist.' That doesn't follow.

"There are some bad apples. There are people who've acted very badly and they should be held to account."

Multiple claims of bullying and sexual impropriety have emerged recently, with it being widely reported that 56 MPs have had allegations of sexual misconduct against them referred to the ICGS.

But, in letter, the IGCS warned against "speculation" over numbers.

It said its latest internal figures showed a "similar trend" to those for the year 2020-21, during which it had dealt with 15 cases against MPs for bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct.

At the beginning of April, Conservative MP David Warburton was suspended from the party pending an investigation into alleged sexual harassment.

Cabinet minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said last week that she had once been "pinned up against a wall" by a male colleague and been subjected to misogyny and "wandering hands" on several occasions.

Labour former cabinet minister Liam Byrne is due to be suspended for two days from the Commons for bullying a former staff member.

And Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan resigned from Parliament after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.


WATCH: I can see how tractor search led to porn - friend of disgraced MP Neil Parish


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×