ADVERTISEMENT

Vulnerable U.K. Lawmakers Demand Right to Speak in Parliament

More than 150 members of Parliament have registered for a proxy vote because they cannot attend sittings in Westminster.

Vulnerable U.K. Lawmakers Demand Right to Speak in Parliament
A statue of a Lion stands on Westminster Bridge in the view of the Houses of Parliament in London, U.K. (Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has rejected calls to reinstate a fully virtual U.K. Parliament after vulnerable and unwell lawmakers complained they are locked out of key debates.

More than 150 members of Parliament, almost a quarter of the total, have registered for a proxy vote because they cannot attend sittings in Westminster for medical or public health reasons.

Although another MP can cast a vote on their behalf, MPs at home are not allowed to take part in any debates on legislation. They’re only allowed to appear via video link during ministerial question time and statements.

House of Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has refused to allow a change in the rules, and repeated his opposition on Thursday. “We have a duty to be here doing our business,” he told lawmakers.

It puts the government on a fresh collision course with House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who warned Wednesday that MPs could become coronavirus “super-spreaders” because they are forced to travel from all parts of the country to attend Parliament.

Hoyle said the power rests with the government, and not him, to grant MPs a vote on allowing the return of long-distance participation in Parliament.

Lobbying Johnson

Sixty MPs have so far signed a letter to Johnson calling for virtual proceedings to be fully reinstated.

Barbara Keeley, an opposition Labour Party MP who had treatment for breast cancer last year, said she has been advised by doctors to stay at home. “The government is stopping us from doing our jobs,” she said in an interview. “And there’s no logical reason for it whatsoever.”

Support for self-employed workers and the aviation sector has been raised frequently by her constituents, she said, but she is unable to take part in key debates on these issues.

Keeley blamed ministers for prioritizing “nostalgia” over the health of lawmakers. “There’s a hankering after lively debates with lots of MPs and lots of interventions and jeering and all the noise, some MPs really like that,” she said. “But the truth is we’re in the middle of a pandemic.”

Long Covid

Andrew Gwynne, another Labour MP, is among those pushing for change after contracting coronavirus earlier this year and since suffering from debilitating after effects known as Long Covid.

In evidence to the Procedure Committee, a group of MPs scrutinizing the working of Parliament, Gwynne wrote: “We are effectively a second class of MPs -- unable to debate legislation or other substantive matters, apply for adjournment and other debates, or vote other than by proxy. This diminished status effectively disenfranchises our constituents.”

In April and May, MPs were allowed to vote remotely and take part in all debates from home. But the rules were changed in June, when the House of Commons approved a government motion tabled to restrict virtual proceedings to question times and statements.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.