Ministers' speeches to be shortened so more women MPs can be heard

Ministers' speeches in the House of Commons will be cut short so more female and ethnic minority MPs can get their voices heard.

Charles Walker, Conservative chairman of the Commons Procedure Committee, said "excessively lengthy" speeches from those speaking for the Government or the Opposition can have a "detrimental" impact on the time available for backbench MPs to contribute to important debates.

SNP MP Alison Thewliss backed the change, saying that over-running speeches by senior MPs meant that more junior MPs – who are proportionately more likely to be women or from an ethnic minority – often saw their speeches squeezed.

The committee plans to monitor the situation and "will not hesitate" to recommend Speaker John Bercow and his deputies use formal powers to limit all frontbench speeches to 20 minutes, plus up to 15 minutes extra to allow MPs to ask questions through interventions.

The committee analysed arrangements for limiting speaking time in the chamber when demand is high.

The committee found time limits were imposed on 57 Commons debates in the 2015/16 parliamentary session, 56 in 2016/17 and 115 in the current Brexit-dominated two-year session ending in 2019, including one 60-second limit.

Mr Walker warned free-flowing debate could be discouraged by over-regulating the speaking time, noting a "reasonable balance" must be found.

He said: "Members themselves must respect the chair's desire to call as many speakers as possible by adjusting the length of their remarks accordingly.

"My committee has noted that excessively lengthy speeches from frontbenchers can also have a detrimental impact on the time available for backbench contributions. That is why we will closely keep an eye out for any practices which operate to the detriment of backbench MPs.

"If necessary we would not hesitate to recommend that the chair uses reserve powers available that allow them to limit frontbench speeches."

Ms Thewliss, another member of the committee, said she would be asking Commons authorities to monitor the length of MPs’ speeches to see if female MPs were being discriminated against.

Ms Thewliss told The Daily Telegraph that a “deference towards MPs who have been here for longer meant that newer MPs who are women are less likely to get their chance to have their say”.