IT is almost four weeks to the day since this column was used to call for an urgent modernisation of Parliamentary procedures.

That demand was the result of the arcane rules which allowed the blocking of a bill that would have made “upskirting” a criminal offence, followed by a sick Labour MP being brought into the Commons lobbies to vote in person during a Brexit debate – as well as three MPs in the late stages of pregnancy.

Yesterday it emerged that the Tories failed to stick to a voting pact involving Lib Dem deputy leader Jo Swinson, who is on maternity leave, during a crunch Brexit vote on Tuesday night.

The Prime Minister said it was an error which would not be repeated, but even the least cynical observer would find this explanation hard to stomach from a Government as desperate as this one for every last vote.

The pairing system relies on trust, but it would appear trust, and honour, are no longer enough. Failsafe policies, such as a system of proxy voting, need to be introduced to protect the interests of MPs on maternity leave, as well as those who are heavily pregnant or ill.

The Houses of Parliament seem to have been operating in an employment law vacuum. They need to get into the 21st Century and start setting a better example to the rest of the country about how to treat sick, disabled or pregnant workers.

If they do not, there is a very real risk of a return to the days when Parliament was the preserve of a select band bearing little relation to the people they are supposed to represent.