A new scheme working to make the UK parliament a “safe place” for women and girls will introduce a series of changes, with a suggestion that future MPs may be subjected to criminal record checks.
On Tuesday, a White Ribbon approved three-year plan was introduced into parliament which is expected to outline major changes including the introduction of training to help others respond to and spot harassment and high behaviour standards to be set out for MPs and peers to follow.
Further details on the scheme are yet to be released, but it has been rumoured parties may be asked to sign up to an agreement whereby new MPs will have to undergo criminal record checks before being able to work in parliament, revealed The Guardian.
The plans follow a campaign led by Labour MP Emily Darlington and backed by speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle last year, where Darlington declared a goal of making the UK parliament the first White Ribbon accredited parliament in the world.
Speaking in the House of Commons last November, Darlington said: “A White Ribbon accredited workplace is one which has committed to work towards this global goal by making itself a safe place for women and girls to work and visit.
“It’s no secret that the UK parliament is not one of these safe places.
“The Palace of Westminster was effectively a ‘boy’s club’ for 300 years, and the comparatively recent presence of women has yet to be fully adapted to in aspects ranging from maternity leave rights to the poor accessibility of tampons.”
The Milton Keynes MP described the parliamentary estate as a “melting pot of circumstances which lead to female employees feeling unsafe”, referring specifically to an incident where a female member of staff was allegedly spiked in a bar located on the estate last January, a bar that had no CCTV and had a “long history of allegations of inappropriate behaviour occurring, the majority against women”.
She added: “Blind spots like these, leftover from a time before women entered parliament, are exactly what a White Ribbon accreditation would seek to fix.
“Making the UK parliament, a place where our national values are shaped, a place which has committed to filling these gaps is not just about safeguarding the women and girls who walk its halls but setting an example to the rest of the country and parliaments around the world.”
The Guardian noted the “toxic culture” of the UK parliament, referring to a 2018 survey which found that 20% of staff had reported experiencing bullying or harassment.
The new scheme has been launched alongside the Labour government’s pledge to half violence against women and girls (VAWG), with just last week the Chancellor John Healey announcing a £15 million misogyny prevention fund in the Autumn Budget.
