A Labour MP has called on the House of Commons to get into the 21st century after being told she cannot bring her three-month-old baby to parliament.
Stella Creasy said she was angered after being told off by the parliamentary authorities for having brought her young son with her to a debate in Westminster Hall, a side hall of the Commons, on Tuesday.
Creasy received an email from the office of the Chairman of Ways and Means, the formal title for Deputy Speaker Eleanor Lain g, reminding her of the rules which were updated in September.
Creasy published the letter and wrote on Twitter: “Apparently Parliament has written a rule which means I can’t take my well behaved, 3-month old, sleeping baby when I speak in chamber. (Still no rule on wearing masks btw).
“Mothers in the mother of all parliament are not to be seen or heard it seems…. #21stCenturyCalling “.
The Walthamstow MP said it was a “bit of mystery” why she had been reprimanded as she has previously taken both of her children into the Commons.
Former Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson also took her infant into the chamber while she was an MP.
Creasy told Sky News: “I don’t have maternity cover so if I don’t have my child with me and I don’t go in then my residents in Walthamstow don’t get heard.”
MPs are entitled to six months of paid maternity leave and a proxy vote but Creasy has previously spoken out about challenges finding cover for her responsibilities.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: “It is vital that all democratically elected MPs are able to carry out their duties in and around Parliament."
The official added: “Members can at any time consult with the Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Clerks and Doorkeepers about their requirements while in the Chamber or in Westminster Hall at any time.
“We are currently in communication with Stella Creasy about this matter.”
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