Parliament is having a ‘collective breakdown’ as Brexit stress hits exhausted MPs
Former Tory minister Rob Halfon caused alarm over the intense personal pressure on MPs saying 'the Brexit madness has affected us all'
PARLIAMENT is undergoing “a collective breakdown” as the stress of the Brexit crisis tips dozens of exhausted MPs over the edge, a senior MP has warned.
Education Committee chair and former Tory minister Rob Halfon issued the alarm over the intense personal pressure that the deadlock and repeated high stakes voting is having on all MPs.
It came as Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle wrote to all members yesterday to urge them to seek help from Westminster’s mental health services, including a confidential 24 hour counselling phone line.
Mr Halfon told The Sun: “It feels like the Commons is having a collective breakdown - a cross between Lord of the Flies and One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest.
“People are behaving in ways that were unimaginable even just a year ago, whether they be Remainers, Leavers or in-betweens. The Brexit madness has affected us all”.
A female Tory MP has also recounted how a male MP from an opposition party confided in her in tears this week over how he couldn’t now go home to see his children next week after the crisis saw Easter recess cancelled.
She said last night: “This place is a boiling pot of mental ill health”.
'BOILING POT OF MENTAL ILL HEALTH'
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox also warned MPs are exhausted by the crisis.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking podcast: “It frays tempers particularly at a time when we need to come together to discuss problems cross party and across tribal divisions and its undesirable to have as many Members of Parliament who look so tired as they are”.
The Cabinet minister said he was reading poetry to “order his thoughts” at the moment.
In a letter to all MPs yesterday, Mr Hoyle said: “Colleagues and all staff have been working around-the-clock since we returned after Christmas.
“The February recess was cancelled and it appears that the Easter break will be much shorter than planned.
“Members of Parliament, Parliamentary staff and House employees are all human and it is vital that in times of heightened stress in the work place we can access the necessary health and wellbeing support.”
Tory Brexiteer Pauline Latham, who switched to back Mrs May’s deal last week, added: “Everyone’s stressed and very tired because we didn’t get the time off in February and we’re now not getting next week either.
“We’re not spending enough time in our constituencies. It’s taking its toll on people. A lot of people are very, very stressed and it’ll be good when it’s all over.”
Senior MP Nick Boles broke down in the Commons chamber on Tuesday night as he announced he was resigning as a Tory, having seen his soft Brexit Norway option thrown out by MPs who told him they’d back it.
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