Calls for pregnant MP to vote from hospital rather than delay caesarian

0 Tulip Siddiq is due to have a Caesarean section today section today should be allowed to vote on the Brexit deal from hospital rather than having to be wheeled into parliament, John Bercow has said.

The Commons Speaker said it was “completely uncivilised” to make Tulip Siddiq postpone giving birth to her child to have her say on Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement. The Hampstead & Kilburn MP said she has spoken to doctors about delaying her operation until Thursday, and planned to be pushed through the division lobby in a wheelchair by her husband in Tuesday evening’s crucial vote, against medical advice.

Ms Siddiq told the Evening Standard she was originally due to have an elective Caesarean on 4 February, but after developing gestational diabetes her doctors advised she deliver the baby this week, on Monday or Tuesday.

She told the newspaper: “If my son enters the world even one day later than the doctors advised, but it’s a world with a better chance of a strong relationship between Britain and Europe, then that’s worth fighting for.”

Mr Bercow said he would like to see the procedure known as “nodding through”, where an MP who is on the parliamentary estate but unable to physically cast their ballot has their vote counted anyway, extended further so Ms Siddiq can vote from her hospital bed.

Former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman asked the Speaker if he could arrange a proxy vote for Ms Siddiq so she can “have her baby and have her vote”.

Another Labour MP, Emma Reynolds, asked how she could get some “urgency” into the introduction of proxy votalabourmpduetohaveacaesarean ing, which has been debated several times in the past year.

Mr Bercow replied that he had received advice that it was “not within the gift of party authorities to facilitate proxy voting for tomorrow”, but added: “It is extremely regrettable that almost a year after the first debate, and over four months after the second debate, this change has not been made. Lamentable and very disadvantageous and injurious to the reputation of this House.”