Pregnant MPs to be allowed to vote by proxy after Labour MP delayed birth of baby to reject Brexit deal

Pregnant MPs could be allowed to vote by proxy within days after an outcry when an expectant Labour member of parliament delayed the birth of her child to take part in a critical Brexit vote.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom announced MPs would be able to approve a “substantive motion” on proxy voting on Monday, allowing the changes to voting for new parents to be brought forward within days.

The development comes after Labour’s Tulip Siddiq opted to delay her caesarean section last week to ensure she could vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

The Hampstead and Kilburn MP said she defied doctors’ advice because she did not trust the government to honour pairing arrangements, after Tory chairman Brandon Lewis accidentally broke a pact with new mother Jo Swinson in a knife-edge Brexit vote last year.

The current system for parental leave is informal and organised by the political parties, where whips make pairing arrangements so an MP from a rival party does not vote along with the absent politician.

Ms Leadsom said a one year trial would be rushed forward on Monday, which would allow pregnant MPs or new parents to nominate a colleague to vote on their behalf.

Speaker John Bercow said he would personally lobby political leaders to ensure it is signed off quickly, if the MPs back the plan as expected.

Speaking during an urgent question, Ms Leadsom said: “I profoundly believe that all new parents should be able to spend uninterrupted time with their new baby. This is vital for both the physical and mental wellbeing of parents and babies.

“I am absolutely committed to making progress on this issue of proxy voting, and I am delighted to be able to confirm to the House today that a substantive motion on proxy leave in the case of maternity, paternity and adoption has been tabled today for the House’s agreement on Monday 28 January.”

The trial period could begin within days if signed off by party bosses, as parliament gears up for further clashes on Brexit ahead of exit day on 29 March.

Labour MP Jess Phillips pledged to “make a misery of the lives” of any MP who objects based on their “patriarchal, paternalistic, draconian, old-fashioned sensibilities”, amid concerns it will take just one person shouting “object” to delay the reform.

She said a “feminist army” would confront anyone who challenge the plans, in a veiled threat to backbench Tory MPs such as Sir Christopher Chope, who came under fire for blocking a bill to prevent upskirting by shouting: “Object.”

Sir Christopher later defended his decision, saying he opposed the bill simply because it needed further debate.

The historic move comes after a long-running campaign from senior MPs to prevent parliament being run like an “18th century gentleman’s club”, amid warnings that female politicians risked being shut out of key votes.

MPs unanimously backed a blueprint for a proxy leave system in February last year – created by the cross-party Procedure Committee – but little progress has been made despite several debates.

Ms Siddiq, who gave birth to her son Raphael last week, said it was a “really momentous and overdue change”.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Ms Swinson, who tabled the urgent question, welcomed the pilot scheme but said the move was long “overdue”.

She said: “I thought things were pretty bad when back in June, in the heatwave, I was 10 days past my due date – but the government’s response to the House’s instruction to introduce proxy voting gives a whole new meaning to the word overdue.

“It’s shameful that last week Tulip Siddiq was put in the invidious position of having to try to make a choice between potential health risks to her baby and whether or not her constituents could have their voice heard on the biggest issue of our time.

“Nobody should be put in that position.”

A newly formed women’s caucus in the Commons has been pushing for change, led by Labour veteran Harriet Harman, who is known as the Mother of the House because she is the longest serving female MP.

In a Commons debate on the issue last year, MPs told of hitting the campaign trail days after giving birth or being called back to work early for crunch votes.

Labour MP Emma Reynolds said she started campaigning for 2017’s snap general election just seven days after giving birth to her baby, while party colleague Tulip Siddiq said she met leader Jeremy Corbyn at her house in Hampstead while breastfeeding her baby.

Luciana Berger, MP for Liverpool Wavertree, said she received abuse from a rival candidate in the general election for not attending a debate because she was caring for her newborn baby.