Political reporter
Parliament should crack down on booing and jeering in the House of Commons to make debates more accessible, a committee of MPs has suggested.
“Antiquated” jargon and gendered job titles like “chairman” should also be scrapped to make politics more inclusive to new MPs, the women and equalities committees told a parliamentary inquiry.
The suggestions were made to a cross-party committee looking into ways to modernise working practices in the Commons.
The panel, which has also been tasked with reviewing MPs’ second job rules and codes of conduct, will meet next week ahead of setting out its priorities.
Loud heckling and shouts of “resign” are a common occurrence in heated debates in the Commons, most notably during the weekly war of words at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
Over the years there have been repeated attempts to curb boisterous behaviour and present a more grown-up, mature debate to the world.
Former Tory prime minister David Cameron once said he wanted to bring an end to the “Punch and Judy” show of PMQs, but later admitted it was a vain hope.
The Commons modernisation committee, chaired by Commons leader Lucy Powell, is currently considering evidence submitted by MPs and campaign groups on how to reform Parliament.
On Thursday, it published a tranche of evidence it has received – including calls for “reasonable limits” on money earned by MPs through second jobs and a reduction in government control over what gets debated.
In its submission, the women and equalities committee, chaired by Labour MP Sarah Owen, said heckling by MPs “must be addressed”.
“Booing and jeering does not belong in any workplace yet alone one that is subject to public scrutiny, and which should be setting an example for others,” it said.
It added that “antiquated” language used in parliamentary debates was “not inclusive to new members [of Parliament] and prevents our constituents from understanding what is happening”.
Hotel costs
Language used in the Commons must be “modernised to become gender neutral” with terms like chairman replaced with “chair” as a first step, the committee said.
They also urged Parliament to stop referring to parliamentary staff costs as “expenses,” warning it confuses the public and fuels abuse of MPs.
Support for MPs with children should also be improved, they suggested, including by increasing MPs’ hotel budgets “on occasions when dependants need to stay with them in London”.
MPs with constituencies outside of London get reimbursements for hotel stays, rentals, during parliamentary work – or costs tied to funding homes they own in the capital.
Among other ideas received by the modernisation committee is a plan to require MPs to submit to in-depth background checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), suggested by Labour MP Jo White last year.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) has called for “reasonable limits” on MPs’ second jobs to ensure they focus on Parliament, and improved disclosure of outside earnings.
The Hansard Society, which aims to promote parliamentary democracy, called for backbench MPs to have greater control over what is debated and give the Speaker the power to summon MPs back during recesses in emergencies.
