I thought things were quite bad when last June I was ten days past my due date, eating all the pineapple and curries I could get my hands on to try and hurry baby Gabriel along.

But the government’s announcement yesterday to introduce proxy voting, nearly a year after the House of Commons instructed it to do so, gives a whole new meaning to the word overdue. Who knew that trying to bring parliament into the 21st century could be as painful as childbirth?

I am glad that the government has finally recognised the need for baby leave. No MP should have to choose between representing their constituents and caring for their newborn. And no constituent should lose their voice because of archaic rules that