'We're at a tipping point': Westminster must be modernised to restore faith in democracy

12 November 2024, 17:42 | Updated: 12 November 2024, 21:35

Today's report from Compassion in Politics and 50:50 Parliament is a stark reminder of both the state of politics but also why we as the public should care. Not just for a few politicians but for us all.

It highlights an environment where many members feel simultaneously privileged to be working as an MP, yet constrained by the structures and traditions they find themselves in, or at worst simply unable to cope.

Trust in politicians is now at its lowest ever, at just 9% and It is for this reason that the findings of the report, the realities of life in Westminster, and the recommendations we have put forward matter. Because the public they serve matters.

The barriers put up to enter Westminster mean we still have a long way to go in terms of true representation among elected officials. Although progress has certainly been made and we now have a cabinet with the highest level of state educated members ever, it is still an environment that disproportionately adversely affects women and people of colour.

83% of the women surveyed said that their gender influenced their experience of being an MP and commented that the environment was ‘macho’ ‘misogynistic’ and an ‘old boys club'. Yet research shows that when there is greater gender balance on both corporate and statutory bodies, outcomes are better for all.

The recommendations we have put forward are designed to create the change that is needed. To facilitate Westminster in becoming a healthier, fairer and ultimately more productive place in which MPs can serve.

The public deserve Parliament to be a workplace where members are not associated with booing and jeering, where language used is accessible for the person on the street who they serve. Where the internal systems are modernised and made more accessible for all and ultimately where the business of politics can be conducted in a way we are truly proud of, truly engaged with.

Those of us involved in politics will read the report and I hope, be both frustrated and encouraged, and more than anything will be cautiously optimistic that perhaps now we could see real change.

We stand at a tipping point, so it is welcome that the new Government has immediately started the process of reform and engagement, and the work of the modernisation committee led by leader of the house Lucy Powell MP is taking input and suggestions as to how to shape Westminster going forward.

Anya Sizer is the democracy lead for Compassion in Politics.

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