MP demands investigation into criminal records of MPs

MPs and peers could be forced to undergo criminal record checks due to the level of access they have to young and vulnerable people, under proposals introduced by the new MP.

Labor MP Jo White has suggested in-depth background checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as part of getting MPs into Parliament.

Candidates are barred from becoming MPs if they have been imprisoned for more than a year anywhere in the British Isles, or convicted of corruption, but there is no requirement to undertake a DBS check.

Screening is required when applying for jobs with a high level of access to vulnerable people, such as teachers, social workers or GPs.

White, MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire, said the current system assumes that MPs are “fit and proper” people without requiring proof.

“The level of access you have as an MP is a bit like Jimmy Savile,” White told the BBC.

Savile’s work as an entertainer with the BBC and his charitable efforts gave him unsupervised access to sensitive areas such as hospital wards, schools and morgues. where they abused the weak,

Since becoming an MP in July, White said he has found that “most people will not stop you from going to services in their constituency.”

MPs regularly meet with voters as part of their work and often advocate for them if they are having problems accessing local services.

With this level of access, he said, “if any MP wanted to gain power” it would be much easier because “a lot of people get influenced early on”.

“If you’re violent, that’s what happens,” she said.

The screening lets potential employers know whether the candidate has a criminal record or is prohibited from working with children or vulnerable adults.

Some local authorities, such as Hackney Council, run DBS checks on elected officials. And DBS checks for elected councilors across the country are currently defined as “best practice”, but not mandatory.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission examines potential peers to “ensure the highest standards of impartiality”.

But prospective candidates for Parliament may stand for election despite having a criminal record or being on the child barred list or the adult barred list – Unless they have served a prison sentence of more than 12 monthsThose convicted of corruption or bankrupt are subject to sanctions.

Furthermore, political parties are responsible for conducting their own scrutiny to ensure that they select the right candidates.

White said that adding DBS checks to Parliament would raise scrutiny standards because “parties will not risk putting forward a candidate without checking their criminal history”.

DBS checks will also allow the public to make more informed choices with their elected representatives.

At the same time, he said, the change would “make Parliament a safer place to work”.

“If I wanted a 16-year-old to work in my office on the basis of work experience there would be no DBS check – that would worry me,” she said.

During the last Parliament, staff made a complaint to the BBC “Violent” culture in the House of CommonsFollowing a series of allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.

White said DBS would help weed out potentially abusive candidates and prevent them from working closely with junior staff.

Despite his concerns, White said his campaign was not motivated by fear of a hidden abuser working as an MP.

Most MPs “are here for altruistic reasons”, he said.

Labor MP Jess Asato told the BBC that she was supporting White’s campaign and hoped it would spark a “wider debate” around the “complex area” of getting the right MP.

“I think there’s a very clear revulsion at the idea that a person banned from working with children could hold public office,” he said.

Asato said this must be balanced with the right of reformed or wrongfully convicted individuals to stand for Parliament, and that the DBS investigation would help provide “the transparency we need”.

Before becoming an MP, Asato worked as a campaigner for victims of domestic abuse and praised the standards of behavior she observed in Parliament.

White’s campaign has received quiet support across party lines.

An early day motion – a call for debate in the House of Commons for which no day has been fixed – White calls for DBS checks on MPs and colleagues It has been supported by 14 MPs from the Labor Party, Lib Dems as well as independent MPs.

The motion was also signed by all four Green Party MPs, including co-leader Carla Denyer, who called running DBS checks on MPs a “completely thoughtless move”.

Denyer voluntarily paid for his own enhanced DBS check after being required to do so for volunteer roles prior to his time as an MP.

He described these as “sensible protections to protect components”.

White has sent his proposals to the newly formed Modernization Committee, which is carrying out a major review of Commons standards and working practices.

However, there are concerns about who would operate such a scheme between political parties and Parliament, and how the information would be used.

The committee said it would not comment on the presentations until it had time to fully consider all options.

But in October, Commons Leader Lucy Powell, who heads the committee, He said that “much remains to be done” to improve the “bad” reputation of Parliament.

The committee is due to publish a preliminary report on the submissions in the new year.