Booing and jeering should be banned in the House of Commons to create a more “respectful” environment, a report has suggested.
Job sharing for MPs – where two people represent a constituency instead of one – should also be considered to allow more women to be elected to parliament.
At the 2024 general election, 263 women were elected to the House of Commons out of a total of 650 MPs. At 40%, it was the highest-ever proportion of women MPs – but below the 51% needed to reflect the national male-female split.
The report, by 50:50 Parliament and Compassion in Politics, called for a “reset” of the culture in Westminster, which it likened to an “old boys club” where abuse and intimidating behaviour are commonplace.
It said Prime Minister’s Questions, the weekly slot where the prime minster is quizzed by the leader of the Opposition, resembled a “school playground”, which “undermined” the authority of MPs while potentially putting people off politics.
It said an immediate ban on booing and jeering would be “totemic” and would help provide a good example of behaviour to the public.
Meanwhile, job sharing for MPs – previously suggested by the Green Party and former Labour MP John McDonnell – would foster a greater work-life balance.
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The findings come after Sky News reported last month that newly elected MPs were struggling to set up offices in their constituencies due to fears for their safety and spiralling rents.
Several MPs who spoke to Sky News said they believed landlords were becoming increasingly reluctant to have them as tenants due to the perceived risks that came with the job – including threats of vandalism and protests.
They said that as a result, they felt less able to be visible in their communities and to their constituents.
As part of the report, which has the support of former home secretary Amber Rudd and Labour’s former head of communications, Alastair Campbell, the 132 MPs who stood down at the last election were handed a survey, to which only 24 responded.
Of those who responded, one in three said the levels of abuse they received as an MP had been a factor in deciding to resign, while another third cited the impact the role has had on their mental well-being.
Over half said they needed to step down because of the impact the job had on their family life – including fear for their well-being, safety and the safety of others.
The constituency office of Labour MP Jo Stevens was vandalised last year.
One former MP and minister told the researchers they had a nervous breakdown during their time in parliament.
“It’s been the most extreme experience of my life,” they said.
“The highs are wonderful. The lows are miserable. There’s very little in between. The collapse of public respect makes it an impossible job for the MP and their family. I had a nervous breakdown after my candidacy and again as a minister.”
Another former MP described parliament as an “uncontrolled playground of abuse”.
“Parliament is still run like a gentleman’s club, but the standards of the 19th century gentleman have disappeared.
“Bullying and manipulation are normalised and expected. And there are far too many staffers learning bad habits like drinking at work. The whole palace is out of control and the most depressing place I’ve ever worked.”
Other recommendations put forward by the report include that there should be a ban on lying in parliament as a means to improve the public’s trust in politicians, which it said was at an “all-time low”.
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It cited a number of scandals that have damaged the public’s perception of politicians, including partygate, the 2010 expenses scandal and the instances where MPs have been accused of or found guilty of sexual abuse or bullying, harassment and intimidation.
More recently, Labour has been rocked by rows over freebies, with the party now leading the Conservatives by just one point, according to a poll published last month.
The report also suggested a review of the whipping system in parliament – the means by which MPs are encouraged and persuaded to vote along party lines and follow the leadership’s orders – to “root out bullying”.
The report will be handed to parliament’s modernisation committee, which was promised in Labour’s manifesto and is tasked with reforming House of Commons procedures and driving up standards.
Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.
The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.
McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.
McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP
McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP
“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.
“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Pic: AP
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.
How did McIlroy get to the victory?
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.
The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.
UK
Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way
Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.
The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.
It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.
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British Steel: What happens next?
Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.
“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.
“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”
Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks
Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.
Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.
However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.
“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”
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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’
Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.
The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.
The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.
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Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour Government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.
“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”
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