Vote on plans to bar MPs accused of sexual or violent offences delayed
The Guardian Long-awaited plans to bar MPs and peers accused of sexual or violent offences from Westminster will be kicked into the long grass, it is feared, as plans to hold a vote on the proposals have been delayed.
Commons leader Penny Mordaunt confirmed MPs will debate whether MPs should be barred from entering the parliamentary estate once they are subject to police investigation on Monday, but there will not be a vote.
The debate follows a report from the House of Commons Commission that outlined the new proposals. Under the plans, MPs and peers under police investigation would be subject to a risk assessment carried out by a panel of officials.
A separate panel of politicians, understood to be the deputy speakers of each chamber, would decide whether the member should be barred. Unions fear that if an exclusion is proposed, MPs may still be able to use their constituency offices.
The FDA and Prospect civil service unions have warned that with seven weeks until parliament breaks for summer recess, calls for such measures to be enacted may lose momentum and continue to leave victims at risk in the run-up to the next general election.
