Mumsnet Talk

Could we have one locally doing the useful stuff (i.e. constituency work) and one in Westminster playing politics doing the representative bit?
That would be good: better for the MPs' work/life balance if they're not having to work in 2 places at once.

AuntieEstablishment: surely that is what already exists, in the MP/agent arrangement. One MP as representative, but others doing the heavy lifting of the constituency work.

I dunno what an agent does, but the MP has to go to the constituency, have surgeries, open fetes, visit old people's homes, etc. A job-share with one person permanently based in the constituency, having responsibility for that but not having to combine it with the Westminster village rubbish representation would be good for both job-share partners. And no worse for constituents, as MPs never represent their constituents' views in Parliament anyway.

Find out what the Labour whips said to Margaret Hodge when she suggested job sharing for MPs - would she get the same response today?

http://www.parliamentaryradio.co.uk/newsrelease.html

see broadcast dated 30 October 2011

Please write to your MP and ask him or her to support John McDonnell's 10 minute rule bill in June 2012 to change the law to enable MPs to serve on a job share basis.

Caroline Lucas MP has recorded a new video supporting job sharing for MPs
- please write to your MP and ask them to support the bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rljev-8kOf0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

There is no shortage of women that want to run for MP with the present working conditions. I think it's patronising to assume that women will only go for a job if they can do it part-time. I also think it's ridiculous to assume that if these 'mini MPs' were created, they would automatically be filled by female candidates... selection committees don't work that way. In business, part-time or job-sharing only works at levels where someone can hand over a fairly straightforward, repetitive task and there's not too much decision-making required. Running the country is not one of those tasks.

John McDonnell MP has recorded a video asking the public to contact him if they would like to be job share MPs. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjVNuoHvDqI

Ridiculous idea. How would people know who was their MP on any given time or day? Being an MP is a full-time, 24/7 job. It should not be something to be worked around child-care.

A new epetition on job sharing for MPs has been started as the first one time expired. Please sign up to support a law change to enable job sharing for MPs.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38829

Also legal advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on job sharing for MPs has been posted on www.disabilitypolitics.org.uk

You still banging on about this? If the last one time-expired doesn't that just mean 'no-one supported it'?...

John McDonnell MP is presenting a bill on Tuesday 20th November 2012 to seek a law change to enable MPs to job share.

A letter to The Guardian was published in September 2012 setting out some of the supporters of job sharing for MPs:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/sep/25/job-share-mps-representative

I see MPs are also pushing for a £100k a year pay packet plus expenses on top. There has been huge grumbling by MPs ever since their expenses have come under tighter scrutiny and they have constantly pushed for the rules to be relaxed and their pay and perks to be raised.

I am therefore dubious about this sudden apparent conversion to embracing family friendly policies. Any chance we might be seeing 'man and wife' MP job sharing? A lot of MPs wives act as their secretary and hence get paid all/most of the MPs allowance for staff while they hire unpaid interns to do the bulk of constituency work. I think we need to be a bit careful here. There are also going to be fewer MPs once the boundary changes happen and I can see a real danger of such an arrangement being abused.

A husband and wife could stand on a job share basis if the Bill is passed. I don't know any MPs who 'hire unpaid interns to do the bulk of the constituency work'.

The Explanatory Notes for the Bill answer a lot of questions about job sharing for MPs and can be read here: http://www.disabilitypolitics.org.uk/pdfs/enotes.pdf

The Bill itself can be read here:
http://www.disabilitypolitics.org.uk/pdfs/jsbill.pdf

Please ask your MP to attend the debate and support the Bill.