PARLIAMENT should move towards more family-friendly ways of working, according to Burnley MP Kitty Ussher.
The former junior Treasury Minister says one of the reasons why she decided to step down from Government, and ultimately as the borough’s MP, revolved around the late hours culture of the House of Commons.
In an article for the London Evening Standard, mother-of-two Mrs Ussher says that many MPs with young families are losing out.
The MP wrote: “Since when have core working hours of 2.30pm to 10pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 11.30am to 7pm on Wednesdays and 10.30 till 6pm on Thursdays been family friendly?
“Particularly if you consider that the voting often doesn’t start till the end of each day and each vote lasts around 15 minutes?”
Mrs Ussher says it is natural for those MPs who have families to want to conduct their affairs at Westminster before being reunited with their loved ones “swiftly”.
Critics have suggested that the working week could be shortened, in exchange for a shorter summer recess.
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