• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About DNS
  • Subscribe to DNS
  • Advertise with DNS
  • Support DNS
  • Contact DNS

Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

  • Home
  • Independent Living
    • Arts, Culture and Sport
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Housing
    • Transport
  • Activism & Campaigning
  • Benefits & Poverty
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
You are here: Home / Politics / Rees-Mogg accuses shielding MPs of ‘shirking their duty’ by working from home
Jacob Rees-Mogg speaking in the House of Commons

Rees-Mogg accuses shielding MPs of ‘shirking their duty’ by working from home

By John Pring on 5th November 2020 Category: Politics

Listen

A government minister has accused MPs who are disabled or are otherwise shielding from coronavirus of shirking their “duty” by refusing to come to the House of Commons to take part in debates during lockdown.

The comments by the leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, came despite his own government this week telling people seen as clinically extremely vulnerable to the virus that they should work from home and should not visit their workplaces.

His comments also came days after Disability News Service reported how some MPs were risking the lives of disabled parliamentarians and House of Commons staff – and those with long-term health conditions – by flouting COVID-19 safety measures.

Rees-Mogg (pictured) was twice asked on Monday whether he would re-introduce rules to the House of Commons that would allow disabled MPs and others who are shielding from coronavirus to play a full part in the democratic process.

Since early June, virtual participation in the Commons chamber for shielding MPs who are working from home has been limited to asking oral questions and urgent questions and responding to ministerial statements, and they have been unable to take part in debates on motions and legislation.

Vicky Foxcroft, Labour’s shadow minister for disabled people, who herself is at heightened risk from COVID-19 as a result of a long-term health condition and is currently shielding, reminded Rees-Mogg that the government’s advice to clinically extremely vulnerable people was to stay away from their workplaces and work from home.

She said: “Will the Leader of the House commit to setting a good example and allow members such as myself to participate in debates and votes remotely, as we could at the start of the first lockdown?

“I know that he is reluctant to do that, but as the prime minister has said, we must make sacrifices to save lives.

“This is not just about keeping MPs safe; we must also consider everyone who works on the parliamentary estate.”

But Rees-Mogg told her that “the whole point of a debate is that there is a back and forth, and that requires interventions. It is not possible to do that remotely.”

He later said that MPs should “lead by example” and that MPs should join the cleaners and security staff who were “working every day”.

He said: “We should be proud to be doing the same as them and working here physically.

“Duty may not be a fashionable word, but it is the right word to use.

“It is our duty to hold the government to account and to legislate, and to do that properly, we need to be here.”

Another MP with a long-term health condition, the SNP’s Dr Philippa Whitford, told Rees-Mogg that she took “great offence” at the inference that she was “somehow shirking my duty” by declining to travel to and from Westminster during the pandemic.

She said: “With England going into lockdown, the prime minister has just said that the most vulnerable should only work from home, so I, too, call on the Leader of the House to restore and maintain full virtual participation until next year to ensure that all Members can fully represent their constituents throughout the COVID crisis and the end of the EU transition.”

Rees-Mogg refused to comment further, other than referring Whitford to his earlier answer.

 

A note from the editor:

Please consider making a voluntary financial contribution to support the work of DNS and allow it to continue producing independent, carefully-researched news stories that focus on the lives and rights of disabled people and their user-led organisations.

Please do not contribute if you cannot afford to do so, and please note that DNS is not a charity. It is run and owned by disabled journalist John Pring and has been from its launch in April 2009.

Thank you for anything you can do to support the work of DNS…

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on Reddit

Tags: coronavirus Jacob Rees-Mogg Parliament Philippa Whitford shielding Vicky Foxcroft

Pygmalion at the Old Vic. Access performances. Icons for audio description, captioned, BSL and relaxed performances.

Related

Anger as Labour omits ‘vital’ promise on disability rights from policy document
21st September 2023
Labour has ‘caved in to vested interests’ on social care, leaked documents show
21st September 2023
DWP blocks release of document that shows impact of scrapping ‘fit for work’ test
27th April 2023

Primary Sidebar

Pygmalion at the Old Vic. Access performances. Icons for audio description, captioned, BSL and relaxed performances.Pygmalion at the Old Vic. Access performances. Icons for audio description, captioned, BSL and relaxed performances.

Access

Latest Stories

Network Rail admits: ‘We have no idea how many inaccessible bridges we’re building’

Anger as Labour omits ‘vital’ promise on disability rights from policy document

Labour has ‘caved in to vested interests’ on social care, leaked documents show

Fear over council policy that could force disabled people into care homes

Anger at ‘shameful’ failure to include DWP deaths inquiry in Labour policy document

One in three ‘Disability Confident’ employers have employed no disabled people

Austerity changes are reducing impact of accessible housing funds, 12 years on

Ministers ignore ESA claimants in suicide prevention strategy… again

Watchdog appears set to approve mass ticket office closures

Disabled politician sues Lib Dems over discrimination that left her suicidal

Advice and Information

Readspeaker

Footer

The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web