The cheating of Jo Swinson has exposed the UK parliament’s rotten core

A cross-party pact was the fair way to avoid the Lib Dem MP – who has a three-week-old baby – having to attend this week’s Brexit trade bill vote. The fact that it was broken is deeply troubling

Ah, parliament, with its magnificent conventions, where you are allowed to honk like a goose on fire while someone is speaking, can say “misspoke” but not “lied”, and can enjoy round-the-clock access to snuff from the House of Commons doorkeeper, but are not allowed to remain in bed when you have just had a baby. On paper, an MP can take maternity leave, regardless of whatever constitutional crisis is unfolding, thanks to “pairing”, where a counterpart will be found to cancel out your absence by not voting themselves. It is known as a “gentleman’s agreement”, which is a technical term, meaning: “It will be honoured until it actually matters, then it’s gloves off, suckers.” There should be a code for when you save your noblest, most altruistic behaviour for when it counts, and we could call that a lady’s agreement.

On Tuesday, Brandon Lewis, Conservative party chairman, was paired with Jo Swinson, deputy leader of the Lib Dems, who has a three-week-old baby. The non-voting pact was remembered all the way through the day, until it came to two Brexit amendment votes at the end, when he voted with the government to save it from what might otherwise have been a general-election-triggering defeat. The whips have taken the blame. Fair enough: it was late, people get tired, it’s easy to make an “honest mistake”, if by that you mean: “I honestly and mistakenly thought nobody would notice, since she’s a Lib Dem anyway, and a woman to boot.”

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2uIhPsH