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Jacob Rees-Mogg is on a collision course with the President, unions and MPs after urging MPs to return to the Commons next month to “set an example” for the rest of the country.
Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, said MPs should “lead by example” to encourage people to return to work by returning to Westminster as the UK passes the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Whitehall sources said the government was aiming for a return in early June.
The move would run counter to current councils for parliamentarians and thousands of support staff and officials working in parliament. Today, they are instructed to stay home and go to parliamentary succession only if they cannot help it.
It would also put the government on a collision course with spokesman Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who wrote to parliamentary staff earlier this week urging them to continue working from home and not putting themselves or their families “at risk”.
After Parliament’s first remote vote on Tuesday night, Rees-Mogg told parliamentarians that he would extend the virtual vote until May 20, but that he did not expect to do so again.
“It is clear that Parliament must soon give an example of how we gradually return to a fully functioning country again. Our constituents would not expect anything less, ”he said.
“Therefore, while we must move forward in line with the public health orientation, it is vital that when we are asking other people to work and go to their workplaces if they cannot do it from home, we should not be the ones who are exempt from that. ” .
“In fact, we should be leading by example.”
Rees-Mogg’s push seems to contradict a message sent by Hoyle about parliament’s intranet system this week. The speaker urged staff to work remotely when possible and stated that there were no plans to change the current work arrangements, it is understood.
Politicians and unions said the call was irresponsible. A Labor Party spokesman said ending “the successful hybrid virtual system runs counter to the government’s own public health councils and its message of working from home whenever possible.”
“The priority must be to protect the health and well-being of everyone who works in parliament,” added the spokesman.
Dave Penman, head of the FDA, which represents senior officials and public officials in parliament, said Rees-Mogg’s words were puzzling after the large amount of work that had gone into allowing parliament to work properly. remote.
“The staff has been working tirelessly to ensure the effective functioning of parliament in these extraordinary circumstances, balancing the needs for an effective democracy with the protection of parliamentarians and the thousands of officials that are necessary for parliament to function.
“A return to normal parliamentary business will cause thousands of employees to travel and work in the confined spaces of parliament.
“We are seeking urgent consultations on this proposal, including a full risk assessment, which we should carry out jointly with the unions with the results published for all to see.”
Garry Graham, Deputy Assistant Secretary General of Prospect, said: “However, the guidelines for other workplaces, which stipulate, for example, staggered shifts, cannot be applied here. This could create an enormously high risk for parliamentary staff.
“For parliament to return in its entirety, safely, there must be proposals to limit the number of people working at any time and to protect those who have to work. Provision of appropriate PPE should be included in these proposals. “
SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said: “It is crucial that MPs can continue to participate in Parliament virtually. Forcing parliamentarians to travel back and forth hundreds of miles across the UK to Westminster would create an unnecessary risk of infection in our communities, and could be life threatening. ”
The guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) on facial masks has remained constant during the coronavirus pandemic. It has stuck to the line that masks are for healthcare workers, not the public.
“Wearing a medical mask is one of the preventive measures that can limit the spread of certain viral respiratory diseases, including Covid-19. However, the use of a mask alone is not sufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures must also be taken, “said the WHO.
However, as some countries have eased closing conditions, they have made it mandatory to use face covers outside as a way of trying to inhibit the spread of the virus. This is in the belief that covering the face will prevent coughing and sneezing from expelling the virus from a great distance.
There is no strong scientific evidence, in the form of trials, that common masks prevent the virus from infecting people who use it. There is also concern that the public does not understand how to wear a mask correctly, and can become infected if they come in contact with the virus when they remove it and then touch their faces.
Underlying WHO concerns are the shortage of high-quality protective masks for front-line healthcare workers.
However, masks play a role when worn by people who are already infected. It is accepted that they can block transmission to other people. Since many people with Covid-19 show no symptoms in the first few days after becoming infected, the masks clearly have a potential role to play, especially on crowded public transportation when people return to work.
Sarah Boseley Health editor
Rees-Mogg’s call follows the government’s 60-page “road map” released Monday, which said: “It is vital that parliament can continue to analyze the government, consider the government’s ambitious legislative agenda, and legislate to support the response. from Covid-19.
“Parliament must give a national example of how companies can continue in this new normal; and it must move forward, according to the public health guide, to return to business as part of this next step, including a move toward new physical procedures in the House of Commons. “
Strict physical distancing measures have been introduced into the House of Commons chamber, meaning that only around 50 MPs can enter at a time.
