It seems that not even MPs’ offices are exempt from the nation’s employment crisis. Ahead of next year’s general election, Mr S hears that many bright young things on the Tory side are leaving parliament – with their elected members now finding it difficult to hire suitable replacements. Some quitting the Commons fear a Labour landslide; others suggest it’s merely long-serving staff reaching a natural end point after three or four years of service.
‘Large amounts of my mates are actively looking’ for new jobs, said one Portcullis House veteran, with Tory MPs now ‘finding it hard to recruit.’ Another agreed that they had ‘Definitely heard of people leaving parliament en masse’ but argued it was ‘more to do with the fact most staffers I know have been here since 2019 and just feel like it’s time to move on.’
Listings on the popular W4MP jobs site would certainly support claims of an exodus, with one Tory backbencher listing the same post three times in four months. Another MP has tried to recruit for three different staff positions since February while a third simply ‘can’t hire’. Maybe Jeremy Hunt can try getting some over-50s from off the golf course?
Separately, Steerpike hears rumours about plans for a BBC documentary looking at the culture in parliament and how it has changed in recent years. Don’t expect a rush of new job applications off the back of that…
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