FEMALE MPs, particularly from ethnic minorites, are the target of “vicious, misogynistic” abuse including rape and death threats, a cross-party group said today.

The women and equalities committee said that women are less likely than their male colleagues to stay on as MPs as a result, especially as Parliament itself has “also been a place where bullying and harassment have taken place.”

The committee’s report, Equality in the Heart of Democracy: A Gender Sensitive House of Commons, also stresses that MPs are still struggling to juggle their jobs and their caring responsibilities because the provision for childbirth and parental leave “has been poor until very recently.”

It says: “The House of Commons needs to better understand the needs of its members, particularly women, parents, carers, disabled people and those with long-term health conditions.

“It should survey MPs to gather and understand their personal experiences and views about current working practices, facilities and provision for diverse needs.”

The report acknowledges that progress has been made but warns that, even so, only about a third — 34 per cent — of MPs are female.

Women from ethnic minority backgrounds make up just 5.7 per cent of Britain’s 650 MPs, placing Parliament behind the devolved nations and many other countries in Europe, the group, chaired by Tory MP Caroline Noakes, pointed out.

Stressing that there is “no room for complacency,” the report urges action to address the “intolerable rise of online abuse and harassment” of female MPs.

It criticises the government’s draft Online Safety Bill, arguing it that lacks “specific focus on the abuse currently being experienced by women, and particularly black and minority ethnic women, in politics.

“It remains to be seen whether the government’s current legislative proposals will be sufficient, given the sheer scale and severity of the problem,” the study concludes. 

The report demands improvement in proxy voting schemes and the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’s parental leave cover fund, saying that both should “reflect best workplace practice and better support equal gender roles in childcare.”

More incentives for political parties to select diverse candidates are also needed, it suggests, as well as dedicated parent-and-child car parking provision on the parliamentary estate.

Procedures concerning the exclusion from Parliament of MPs accused of sexual misconduct should also be reviewed, the study recommends. 

Last weekend, Labour’s Zarah Sultana became the latest female MP to report a death threat.