Coronavirus: Veteran Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge 'discriminated against' by Commons return
A 75-year-old former minister vents her anger after the government dropped virtual proceedings, barring her taking part.
Monday 8 June 2020 15:14, UK
A veteran Labour MP has told Sky News she has been "disenfranchised and discriminated against" over the controversial return of the House of Commons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dame Margaret Hodge has spoken of her anger after the government dropped virtual proceedings, which had allowed her and other members unable to attend the chamber to contribute remotely and vote online.
Appearing on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, the 75-year-old compared the ensuing lengthy queues of MPs waiting to vote to "a Gilbert and Sullivan farce".
The former minister argued the move was political, rather than in the public interest, as Boris Johnson needed "braying" backbenchers behind him during his weekly clashes with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions.
Dame Margaret said the situation meant she would be barred from taking part in an emergency debate on how the Commons operates during the coronavirus outbreak, scheduled for Monday, despite it directly affecting her.
Labour frontbencher Jim McMahon has also urged the need for a review of the way parliament works during the current crisis, branding the long queues for voting "unsafe and inefficient".
The criticism follows a stream of complaints about requiring MPs to travel across the UK to attend Westminster in person, while social distancing requirements limit numbers in the chamber to 50.
However, in the face of pressure, proxy voting has been extended to those who cannot attend on medical or health grounds.
Dame Margaret said: "What is happening which is makes me so angry is I am allowed to vote but I can't take part in debates around legislation.
"There is a debate on virtual access and I would like to virtually take part in that debate and I have been told I can't do that.
"So I am being disenfranchised and discriminated against on a debate that is discussing my disenfranchisement and my discrimination. It is just a nonsense."
She added: "I want to hold the government to account... and yet I am being prevented from doing so by rules that have been brought in not to make parliament more accountable and better but actually I think for political not public good reasons."
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She said of the prime minister: "He can't operate without a crowd behind him braying whereas Keir Starmer has been excellent in a very detailed way challenging the government.
"I think this is about getting the crowds behind Boris at PMQs rather than good governance."
Speaking to Ridge, Mr McMahon, the shadow transport secretary, also backed a return to electronic voting.
He said: "I do think we need to review the way that parliament works.
"The frustration with parliament of course is if it's at all avoidable, then it should be avoided and we can vote electronically, we can vote in 15 seconds, we don't have to be queuing up for 40 minutes.
"Aside from it being unsafe in my view, it's often a massively inefficient way of working."
Mr McMahon also said that concerns around the number of people gathering for anti-racism protests need to be "put into perspective" in the light of MPs voting in person in parliament last week.
Mr McMahon added: "In terms of equity, MPs were in parliament lining up, often breaking social distancing because of the pinch points, in terms of upholding our democratic responsibility.
"We all need to understand that peaceful assembly is also a very important part of our democratic process as well."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the move to bring politicians back to London.
Speaking at PMQs on Wednesday, he said MPs should consider "what is really going on throughout the country", with Britons "getting used to queuing for long periods of time to do their shopping or whatever it happens to be".
The PM continued: "I do not think it's unreasonable that we should ask parliamentarians to come back to this place and do their job for the people of this country."