Parly union slams Clegg over interns
By Tony Grew - 11th April 2011
Unite the Union's parliamentary branch has hit out at Nick Clegg over interns and social mobility.
Spokesperson Shelley Phelps accused the DPM of hypocrisy and called on him to back Unite's campaign for Ipsa to create a dedicated internship fund for MPs.
She also called on him to support the Speaker's scheme to find sponsorship for interns and claimed Clegg's internship policy is "hypocritical while Parliament can't get its own House in order".
"Clegg, a former intern himself, says he no longer wants to see people get internships in Parliament just because their parents 'whisper in the ear' of the right person at their golf club," Phelps said.
"He also says that he wants to see interns properly remunerated.
"We welcome this push for change, but the strategy won't mean much if the place where Clegg himself works – Parliament – remains the preserve of the wealthy and well-connected."
In 2009, Unite estimated that interns carried out 18,000 hours of unpaid work each week in Westminster, and 44 per cent didn't get travel and food expenses.
Unite spokesman Nick Quin said: "One of the reasons the practice is continuing is because the staffing budget limit for MPs is so low it makes it difficult to find the funds to pay interns."
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