Committee publication · Correspondence · 5 March 2026
Letter, dated 10 November 2025, from Unite the Union, relating to the Committee's Second Report on the security of MPs, candidates and elections
From: Speaker's Conference (2024)
Inquiry: Speaker’s Conference on the security of candidates, MPs and elections
Summary
Unite the Union writes to Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle expressing serious security concerns about planned changes to the MPs' Register of Interests, which would publish names and employment details of approximately 4,000 parliamentary staff members. The union argues this poses significant risks to constituency staff who lack Westminster-level security protections, particularly women and ethnic minorities who are disproportionately represented in these roles and face heightened abuse.
Key findings
- Proposed register expansion would publicly identify 4,000 staff members, creating personal fixation and targeting risks especially for constituency-based staff who work in visible, sometimes isolated offices
- Constituency staff face increasing online and in-person abuse but lack security protections of Westminster-based staff; expansion could amplify vulnerability through easier identification and location
- Women and ethnic minorities are over-represented in constituency offices and receive disproportionate abuse; equality and risk impact assessments have not been conducted
- Police forces and parliamentary security teams have not been consulted on resource implications or implementation risks; specialist national team recommendation from Speaker's Conference report remains unimplemented
- Online platforms including Meta fail to robustly respond to reported abuse despite claiming robust approaches; online threats could translate more rapidly to physical harm for unprotected constituency staff
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Unite the Union, Becky Boumelha, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Standards Committee, Meta, UK police forces
Notable line
“Formally identifying staff may increase opportunities for personal fixation and escalating threats towards staff when they can be located outside of their workplace.”
Key Quotes
“We note the imminent changes to the MPs register of interests, which if implemented in full would see the names and employment details of 4000 members of staff made public.”
“Constituency staff do not have the security protections of Westminster- based staff, and often work in visible offices, and sometimes alone or without senior staff present in the office.”
“Like all bullies, the perpetrators often focus on people's personal characteristics, especially anything that is distinctive about them, meaning that women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds generally receive more abuse.”
“The strength of concern amongst our members cannot be overstated, and the opportunity to talk to you directly about their issues and concerns could help to prevent these wide sweeping changes being rolled out without the proper scrutiny to avoid unintended consequences.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗