Edinburgh MP Tommy Sheppard says 'no going back' once Westminster can operate virtually

Commons goes back, but mainly online

Tommy Sheppard welcomes the move to remote working for MPs

CORONAVIRUS is set to change the way the UK parliament works for good, according to Edinburgh East SNP MP Tommy Sheppard.

The Commons resumes this week after the Easter recess, but the plan is for just 50 MPs to meet in the chamber with 120 joining in online.

Most Scottish MPs will not be going down to London, saying it would be irresponsible to travel during the lockdown.

Mr Sheppard welcomed the advent of remote participation but said parliament was still a long way from allowing remote voting.

“Technologically, voting is easier - people do it every Saturday night when the X Factor is on. but they’re not doing that. They’re concentrating on the harder thing which is to have an inter-active discussion online.

”I do acknowledge that in terms of the UK parliament they have moved a very long way in a relatively short time. Looking at it outside the bubble it doesn’t appear that dramatic.”

He said if it proved successful said there would be “no going back” on the use of technology during the lockdown once the coronavirus crisis was over. “If satisfactory procedures are established which enable people to discuss things on a virtual basis people will say ‘Why spend all this time and money getting from the four corners of the UK to one spot to do this?’

“There is still a need to make eye contact once in a while, but you could have a mixture - you could introduce more virtual meetings and distance working which would be more efficient and allow MPs to spend more time in their constituencies.”

Livingston SNP MP Hannah Bardell also welcomed the move.

“We have been calling for the parliament to sit digitally for some time and for modernisations to be put in place.

“It seems ridiculous it takes a pandemic for the parliament to be dragged into the 21st century.”