Parliament needs an employment model fit for the modern political era

Lisa Gillmore, Senior Parliamentary Researcher and GMB MPs’ and Peers’ Staff Branch President | GMB

3 min read1 hr Partner content

MPs’ offices have changed, but the way staff are employed has not. Building a system of employment fit for today’s politics requires a single, central employer for Parliament to retain talented and committed staffers

When MPs first brought on staff, there wasn’t a 24-hour news cycle and the only thing that tweeted was a bird. Now for staffers, work starts by switching on the news or scrolling through social media as they get ready for the day ahead. No matter their role, having a grasp of what is going on locally and nationally is crucial to doing the job well; one minute you need to be an expert on global conflicts, the next you need to know all about local transport issues. Over the course of the day staff must monitor, digest, and adapt to news and political events. Tomorrow, it starts all over again.

While the job has changed substantially over time, an unusual employment status has persisted for half a century. Thousands of MPs’ staff continue to exist in a fragmented system of 650 different employers in 650 different offices. In Westminster, parliamentary assistants will share a corridor but inhabit entirely separate workplaces.

Among the variety of people found in MPs’ parliamentary and constituency offices, one thing runs in common through the staffers I know. In short, it is that they care. However, it is increasingly common for a staffer to gain a thorough understanding of Parliament, including the knowledge and networks required to succeed, then be forced to leave the job they worked so hard to get as the cost of living goes up and their salary stagnates. Compare their responsibilities with a Civil Service staffer in a similar role, and you’ll find the person working for an MP is drastically underpaid.

It is detrimental to our democracy for experienced staff to leave in droves, replaced by new hires who themselves leave before developing equivalent experience. Compared to 2023-24, the number of staff leaving within their first 12 months of employment has increased by 59 per cent.¹ It is the MP they work for, and their constituents, who suffer from this retention crisis.

MPs’ staff are tough, but they face daily security and welfare challenges heightened by the frontline nature of their role, sometimes dealing with constituents in crisis. This stress and risk compounds with unfair pay and employment conditions.

The current model of employment has been on life support with the rise of technology, which has dramatically changed how MPs operate. It is not sustainable and the role of a staffer will become more demanding, with the expectation to be informed and available 24/7.

For Parliament and our democracy to be better, we need proper recruitment and retention strategies, but this is not possible under the current model. In the parliaments of Australia, New Zealand and the EU, staff are employed by the institution itself, recognising a workforce of thousands of people, and retention is significantly better.

There was a time where parliaments from around the world looked to the British model as an exemplar. In most ways we continue to excel, just not for staff. That does not have to remain the case. GMB is calling on MPs to support our One Parliament, One Employer campaign for a single, central employer for Parliament.

To strengthen our democracy, we need a system fit for the modern political era, so MPs can continue to deliver for their constituents and for this country.

Click here to find out more about GMB's One Parliament, One Employer campaign and click here to join the GMB.

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