No babies in parliament if possible: UK MPs should not take their descendants to the House of Commons, committees or Westminster Hall if they want to follow the trials there or get involved – according to an instruction published by the responsible committee on Thursday. However, there may be some sort of “discretionary scope” to be used “sparingly” by the respective chairmen.
The rules had been re-examined at the request of Parliament Speaker Lindsay Hoyle after Labor MP Stella Creasy was outraged by a warning email from Parliament’s administration. She had brought her baby once before and was even praised for his good behavior.
The politician called for more participation from MPs with small children. After the publication of the new guideline, Creasy criticized the fact that the competent committee had not obtained external advice. “Change only comes about when we listen to those who are outside the status quo,” she said.
Gap between rules and practice
The committee’s motivation stated that on principle babies should not be in the room, it was “long-standing practice”. While there have been instances where MPs took their descendants without disrupting the processes, this has led to “some confusion” and a gap between the rules and practice.
Discussions about babies in the Bundestag
In Germany, babies were also recently discussed in the Bundestag after Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter took his son to a committee meeting. On social media, some welcomed this as “progressive”, while others criticized the Green MP only wanted to advertise on his behalf.
Breastfeeding during plenary session
In Austria, Green MP Christine Heindl caused a stir in 1990 when she breastfed her baby during a plenary session of the National Council. The then National Council chairman Rudolf Pöder (SPÖ) reprimanded the MP for the “unreasonable burden on the child”, referring to the MPs’ laughter over the house rules, according to which children under 14 are not allowed in the meeting rooms.
He went on to say: “There is a doctor in the house. I suggest you turn your child over to him today, but make arrangements for other care for future sessions.”
More rest over the years
Subsequent baby appearances in the National Council – around September 2019, when SPÖ-mandated Elisabeth Feichtinger was spotted with a baby in her arms in the plenary hall – were seen more relaxed. And when Green House Member Tanja Windbüchler-Souschill took her six-month-old daughter to the conference room when she was sworn in in October 2013, it was not she who caused a scandal, but her club mate Julian Schmid, who was dressed all too casually in a hoodie. , jeans and sneakers.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
