UK politicians will finally be allowed to breastfeed in the House of Commons
UK politics isn't exactly well known for being a welcoming space for working mothers.
Stella Creasy made history in Dec. 2019 by becoming the first MP to get maternity cover. Historically, MPs were not entitled to maternity leave in the UK.
Now, House Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has announced that MPs will be allowed to breastfeed in the Chamber of the House of Commons.
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In 2000, Betty Boothroyd — who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1992 to 2000 — banned breastfeeding in the Chamber of the Commons and in committee rooms. Until now breastfeeding was only allowed in other areas of the Palace of Westminster.
Lindsay Hoyle, who assumed his role as Speaker in Nov. 2019, gave breastfeeding the green light, stating that it should be the decision of the mother.
"I'm of the view there isn't a policy, my view is that it is up to a mother," he said. "I think it would be wrong for me as a man to dictate on that policy."
"If it happens, it happens. I wouldn’t be upset by it," he added.
Harriet Harman, one of the first MPs to breastfeed in parliament during the 1980s, praised Hoyle for the move.
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It's about time.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
