THE MOVE to redact the names of 2000 Westminster staff from an official transparency register had been met with outrage by journalists.
The former system, in place since 1993 until this week, saw MP’s staffers names being recorded on a regularly updated document alongside any financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
But a proposal by the House of Commons standards committee to redact the names has now been implemented after evidence sessions held in private with staff unions – citing in large part concerns over the safety of those working for MPs.
But the move has also been slammed by working journalists.
For example, Gabriel Pogrund, editor of The Sunday Times investigative team, said in a viral Twitter/X post (below) that it was a “glorious day for opponents of transparency in public life”.
A glorious day for opponents of transparency in public life. MPs have removed the names of their parliamentary staff from a decades-old public register - meaning we do not know who these people are and are left to accept the word of their employer when they say (as in the case… https://t.co/YRqlW8dP9K pic.twitter.com/XCqKdhXzza
— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) August 10, 2026
“MPs have removed the names of their parliamentary staff from a decades-old public register – meaning we do not know who these people are and are left to accept the word of their employer when they say (as in the case of the prime minister, here) that said staff do not have any outside earnings or private interests,” he said.
"’All staff have confirmed they have no registrable interests’: oh, well that's that then. No way of determining if true; no way of finding out if MPs are employing family members; no way for anyone other than MPs themselves to uphold standards or examine who is operating in the Palace of Westminster on their behalf.”
Journalist Adam Ramsay concurred: “This is an absolute disaster for transparency. I’ve used this register in the past to expose hugely inappropriate corporate influence at the heart of the Labour Party. That would be impossible as of today.”
LBC presenter Ben Kentish said: “No one is forced to work for an MP. If you choose to do so, you have to accept it comes with certain types of scrutiny and accountability that other jobs don’t. This is a really bad decision by MPs.”
Others defended the move, including Labour MP Samantha Niblett who asked Pogrund: “Why so cynical? I’m so fiercely protective of my team because ‘they’ didn’t stand for office and the buck stops with me. They don’t get the same protections. They just help people. Please don’t go for our teams. It’s not fair. Our own security is worry enough.”
Scottish Labour MP and UK energy minister Michael Shanks added: “This misunderstands the risks those working in politics face.
“My team have to carry personal security alarms for their own safety. They had to make sure they left the office in small groups recently because of a heightened risk.
“Safety in the workplace must always come first.”
