Change in the system of recruitment of Members of Parliament
At present, staff working directly for Members are directly employed by them. MPs claim expenses and function essentially as a manager of a small business. While MPs say this gives them control over a complex area of their work, it can greatly complicate staff who raise concerns about their own MP, despite the emergence of an independent complaints system. Communities Speaker Lindsay Hoyle suggested holding a “speakers conference” to look at the idea of changing the system so that staff could be formally employed by a central body, giving them standard terms and conditions and facilitating complaints.
Closing the bars
Some allegations seem to focus on drunken behavior at bars on the Westminster estate, particularly the Strangers’ Bar, a compact and often crowded place where drinkers pour out on the Thames terrace when the weather is warmer. Kwasi Kwarteng, the secretary of operations, rejected the idea of closing the bars, calling it “too puritanical”, a view likely shared by many MPs who work long hours away from their families. The fact that the parliament has many bars and restaurants is often seen as a sign of decline, although the picture is a bit more complicated, especially as the estate is the size of a campus and is strictly guarded, which can make outdoor excursions time consuming. In addition to being a workplace, it is also the base for many functions involving outside guests.
Shortlists for all women
These were led by the Labor Party before their election victory in 1997, doubling the percentage of women MPs overnight from 9% to 18%, with 101 of them being Labor. The percentage is now one-third, with more than half of Labor and Liberal Democrat MPs women. While the argument is that more women in the Commonwealth will inevitably reduce all institutional sexism, the Conservatives – more than three-quarters of men – do not plan to use targets or similar measures to change that.
Changes to the complaints system
The Independent Complaints and Appeals System (ICGS), created in 2018 following a previous series of allegations of harassment and abuse, has been widely regarded as a success and offers an anonymous helpline that can trigger investigations. The ICGS said 15 lawsuits had been filed against MPs between July 2020 and June 2021, adding: “We see a similar trend in revelations so far this year.” However, a review of the system 18 months after its inception raised concerns about equal access for different groups and procedures that had become “super-complex”. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST
A new culture at the top
This was Keir Starmer’s accusation: that Downing Street is accustomed to either dismissing claims against Conservative MPs or seeking to delay any action with lengthy investigations. “A fish is rotting from the head,” the Labor leader said Sunday. Others argued that Boris Johnson and dozens of other No. 10 and civil servants who were fined for breaking lockdown rules and attending alleged drunken parties could hardly set a better example for others.
