British MPs should no longer bring babies into Parliament

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British MP Stella Creasy with baby in the House of Commons

Photo: House of Commons / dpa

The Green Anton Hofreiter recently showed up with a child in the Bundestag, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern even brought her baby to the UN General Assembly in 2018.

In Great Britain, too, MPs regularly look after their offspring in House of Commons debates and committee meetings.

But that should now be the end of it.

If possible, British MPs should please stop bringing babies into the House of Commons, committees or Westminster Hall if they want to follow or get involved there.

This is what it says in an instruction published today by the responsible committee.

However, there should be a kind of "discretionary scope" that should be used "sparingly" by the respective chairmen.

The rules had been re-examined at the request of Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle after Labor MP Stella Creasy was outraged by a warning email from Parliament's administration.

She had occasionally brought her baby with her before and had even been praised for his good behavior.

The politician called for more participation for MPs with small children.

After the publication of the new directive, Creasy criticized that the responsible committee had not obtained any external opinions.

"Change only happens when we listen to those who are outside the status quo," she said.

Lead to "some confusion".

The committee's justification stated that babies should not be present in the chamber as a matter of "longstanding practice".

Although there have been cases in which members of parliament have brought their children with them without disrupting the processes, it has led to "some confusion" and a gap between the rules and practice.

In Germany, after Hofreiter's appearance with his son, babies were also discussed in a committee meeting in the Bundestag.

On social media, some welcomed this as "progressive", while others criticized that the Green MP only wanted to advertise on his own behalf.

mrc/dpa