Labour MP Stella Creasy poses with her baby in a sling for official parliamentary portrait
A Labour MP’s new parliamentary portrait has one extra person posing with her – her newborn baby daughter.
Stella Creasy, the MP for Walthamstow, has already taken baby Hettie to the count when she was re-elected in December and to the House of Commons when she was sworn in.
But now the newborn is part of Commons history by appearing in the official photo with her mum.
Ms Creasy wrote on Facebook: “My school portrait for this parliamentary session taken straight after signing in – Hettie again doing her upstaging trick.”
Now Ms Creasy has gone through all the traditions of becoming an MP again, she is now set for maternity leave.
Last year Ms Creasy advertised for Britain’s first ever “caretaker MP”, to cover her duties for the next seven months.
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MPs on maternity leave have previously arranged their own unofficial cover through staff and colleagues.
But the new locum MP will be able to correspond and meet with ministers – although they will not be permitted to speak or vote in Parliament.
A sitting MP will act as Ms Creasy’s proxy for any Parliamentary votes.
Speaking about the role, Ms Creasy said in October: “If the place that makes the law doesn’t recognise the value of ensuring cover for the duties of MPs, then how can it advocate for the millions of parents across the country worried that if they take time out to care for newborn children they will suffer?”
Ms Creasy previously spoke of how she felt forced to choose between being an MP and a mother because of the lack of cover.
She wrote in The Guardian: “If a GP or vicar were on leave, a locum would be provided to ensure continuity of community services.”