MPs vote for trial on proxy voting

MPs have voted for a year-long trial to MPs of proxy voting for those taking parental leave after their baby is born.

The issue received a lot of publicity when Jo Swinson MP was on maternity leave last summer and there was a vote on the Brexit legislation. Under the current system, MPs on maternity leave rely on an informal system where they are paired with a member of the opposition who agrees not to vote so the fact that they can’t is cancelled.

The MP Swinson was paired with voted, meaning her party was put at a disadvantage. Recently Tulip Siddiq felt compelled to look at cancelling a scheduled caesarean so she could vote because the Swinson episode had undermined trust in the pairing system. Siddiq, who is now on maternity leave, is due to be the first person to benefit from the trial, with a proxy set to be nominated for her in tonight’s vote on Brexit.

The approval of the the pilot scheme was greeted with applause in the House of Commons on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Tracey Crouch is due to lead a debate on support for dads in early parenthood in the House of Commons tomorrow.

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