London: Women MPs are put off attending Prime Minister’s Questions because of the “histrionics and cacophony of noise” created by their male colleagues, the Speaker has said.
John Bercow said that party leaders had made no specific commitment to improve the behaviour of their MPs, despite recognising the problem. Earlier this year Bercow said that too many “outstanding women” were leaving Parliament and has now warned that they are reluctant to “engage” in the process of politics.
He said Parliament created “higher decibel levels” than the rock group Deep Purple, crowned the world’s loudest band by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1971. Bercow also said it was time for party leaders to make sure MPs improve their attitude during the weekly session, warning that some would “positively relish” a physical fight on the floor of the chamber. Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s PM programme, the Speaker said several female MPs told him that they did not attend PMQs because of how “bad” the atmosphere had become. Other “seasoned parliamentarians” boycotted PMQs out of embarrassment at their colleagues’ behaviour. Bercow said: “Not just people standing down but people with a lot to contribute, reluctant to engage in the chamber because they think that the histrionics and cacophony of noise are so damaging as to cause them to look elsewhere. But I’m sorry if some of those people are lost to the chamber because they think, ‘I’m not going to take part in that atmosphere’.” He said he had received responses from all party leaders to a letter he sent about MPs’ conduct in the Commons, but added: “There is a general sense of ‘Yes Mr Speaker you make a good point and of course we must behave well and give serious consideration to what people think’, but there’s not yet much by way of a specific commitment.” Both Labour and the Conservatives have accused each other of failing to recruit and maintain enough women, with four Conservative female MPs and seven female Labour MPs intending to stand down at the next election.
