Jennifer Nadel, Co-Director of Compassion in Politics, said:

"That officials and Ministers deemed it acceptable to organise parties during a national lockdown, sought to cover them up, and lied about their occurrence demonstrates that our politics has completely lost its moral compass. The public are understandably feeling dejected, dispirited, and utterly disrespected by this latest episode in a long-running saga of unethical behaviour.

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A coalition of civil society groups have today written to the Speaker of the Commons urging him to lift the ban that prevents MPs from bringing their babies into the Chamber.

The coalition, which includes Compassion in Politics, Centenary Action Group, and Pregnant then Screwed, wrote in support of the Labour MP Stella Creasy who was this week reprimanded by parliamentary authorities for bringing her new-born baby into the Commons. 

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In a joint interview with journalist Gavin Esler, Labour MP Jess Phillips and Conservative MP Maria Miller have opened-up about life as female parliamentarians, the abuse politicians receive, and the tribalism of modern politics.

The interview is part of a new podcast series from Compassion in Politics called “Across the Benches”. The series will bring together MPs from different parties to discuss the values and experiences they have in common.

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Zoom-sensation Jackie Weaver has joined MPs from Labour, the Greens, SNP, and Plaid Cymru in backing a petition which calls for the end of lying in politics.

The petition, which was set up by Compassion in Politics and has nearly 200,000 signatures, calls for the introduction of a new law to effectively make it illegal for a politician to deliberately mislead the public. 

The proposal would take the existing laws which govern the marketing of goods and apply them to the statements made by politicians.

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“We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sir David Amess. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues at this distressing time.

“The attack on Sir David demonstrates how important it is that we build a society free from hate, fear, and hostility. This appalling event must become a line in the sand - a point from which politics changes for good.

“We urge the Members of Parliament who have, since Sir David’s murder, spoken with such compassion and warmth about their colleague to always act in that same spirit whether it be in addressing one another or the public at-large. What kind of message must the public receive when they see politicians boo, jeer, and holler at one another during Prime Minister’s Question Time? That kind of behaviour would not be accepted in any other workplace and it has no place in our democracy. It’s time we banned brutish behaviour in the Commons and embedded a form of debate based on listening, respect, and cooperation.

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The public value freedom from abuse more than freedom of speech, major new research into the future of social media and online communications can reveal.

The polling, which was conducted by Opinium with Compassion in Politics and a number of other civil society organisations, found that 2 in 3 (60%) believe the government’s new Online Safety Bill should focus on protecting people from abuse rather than fixating on freedom of speech.

The research also showed that the public believe the government needs to be much bolder in addressing the problems of abuse and misinformation online. 

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