UK MPs could undergo criminal record checks to stop violence against women

MPs and others working in parliament could be required to take a criminal record check before being given a security pass, and receive anti-harassment training under a pioneering scheme to root out violence against women.

The UK parliament will on Tuesday become the first legislature in the world to receive what is known as White Ribbon accreditation, a commitment to culture change which originated in Canada.

After a cross-party campaign led by Emily Darlington, the Labour MP for Milton Keynes Central, and supported by the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, and other parliamentary staff, a three-year plan approved by White Ribbon will introduce a series of changes to better protect women.

While the details have not yet been released, they are expected to include the introduction of so-called bystander training, which teaches people how to spot and respond to harassment, and high behaviour standards for MPs and peers.

Parties might be asked to sign up to an agreement that new MPs should undergo a criminal record check before receiving a pass to work in parliament.

Parliament is regularly described as riven by sexism and harassment, with a male-dominated work environment compounded by strict hierarchies and sometimes minimal HR assistance, especially for those who work directly for MPs and peers.

Female MPs and staff say this is worsened by the lengthy and unsocial hours of Commons sittings, and the presence of several bars on the parliamentary estate.

This often toxic culture was highlighted in 2018 when a survey of those in parliament, undertaken after a series of reports about predatory and sexist behaviour by some MPs, found that nearly 20% had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment.

A specialist hotline set up to help with complaints about the “Pestminster” culture received hundreds of calls.

A later study in 2023 found that more than two-thirds of female MPs had witnessed sexist behaviour in parliament.

The international White Ribbon movement grew out of Canada’s national day marking efforts to combat violence against women. It takes place on 6 December, the anniversary of the murder of 14 women at a university in Quebec in 1989 by a man who said he hated feminism.

Accreditation is gained by committing to a three-year plan to take action to prevent violence against women.

Darlington said: “This is the place where our national laws are shaped. It should reflect our national values too. It’s no secret that the UK parliament has not lived up to this responsibility in the past, but this is a huge step towards it being a safe and welcoming place for women and girls to work, to visit, and to be elected to.

“This place was a boys’ club for 300 years, and the comparatively recent presence of women has yet to be fully adapted to.”

The plan was welcomed by MPs from other parties. Ben Obese-Jecty, a Conservative MP and shadow minister, called it “hugely positive”, saying: “Ending gender-based violence against women and girls is a cause that we must face up to.”

Josh Babarinde, the Liberal Democrat MP and party president, said: “All of us in parliament and beyond must continue to challenge violence against women and girls in all its forms, and I’m proud to stand alongside cross-party colleagues and the White Ribbon campaign in this critical endeavour.”