MP makes stand over waitresses' right to sit

Waitresses at the House of Commons have been banned from sitting down while not actually serving because the stools they use in the Members' dining room look "untidy", an MP protested yesterday.

Now MPs are to campaign for the restoration of the stools which have been a feature of the dining room for decades. Ann Clwyd, Labour MP for Cynon Valley, said: "We in Parliament legislate on health and safety matters yet our own performance in this respect is appalling. Even in the most primitive working conditions you have somewhere you can rest your feet when not actually working. I think it is disgraceful that this very small amenity has been removed.

I complained about this in a suggestion book and I got quite a sharp reply back that it looked untidy for waitresses to be sitting around the edges of the room, so the stools were removed. That is absolute bunkum."