Parliament should crack down on booing and jeering in the House of Commons to make debates more accessible, a committee of MPs has suggested. “Antiquated” jargon and gendered job titles like “chairman” should also be scrapped to make politics more inclusive to new MPs, the women and equalities committees told a parliamentary inquiry.
Loud heckling and shouts of “resign” are a common occurrence in heated debates in the Commons, most notably during the weekly war of words at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Over the years there have been repeated attempts to curb boisterous behaviour and present a more grown-up, mature debate to the world.
The Commons modernisation committee, chaired by Commons leader Lucy Powell, is currently considering evidence submitted by MPs and campaign groups on how to reform Parliament. On Thursday, it published a tranche of evidence it has received – including calls for “reasonable limits” on money earned by MPs through second jobs and a reduction in government control over what gets debated.
In its submission, the women and equalities committee, chaired by Labour MP Sarah Owen, said heckling by MPs “must be addressed”. “Booing and jeering does not belong in any workplace yet alone one that is subject to public scrutiny, and which should be setting an example for others,” it said. It added that “antiquated” language used in parliamentary debates was “not inclusive to new members [of Parliament] and prevents our constituents from understanding what is happening”.
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