UK MPs could undergo criminal record checks to stop violence against women

Exclusive: Members may be vetted before getting security passes for parliament, and receive anti-harassment training

MPs and others working in parliament could be required to take a criminal record check before being given a security pass, and receive anti-harassment training under a pioneering scheme to root out violence against women.

The UK parliament will on Tuesday become the first legislature in the world to receive what is known as White Ribbon accreditation, a commitment to culture change which originated in Canada.

After a cross-party campaign led by Emily Darlington, the Labour MP for Milton Keynes Central, and supported by the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, and other parliamentary staff, a three-year plan approved by White Ribbon will introduce a series of changes to better protect women.