Few politicians – with the exception of the ill-fated Andrea Leadsom – would dream of saying that being a mother automatically makes you a better politician. But by upholding archaic rules like the breastfeeding ban, Westminster has actually been sending the opposite message: that being a mother, particularly the mother of young children, is incompatible with a political career.

And it isn’t, of course. Look at Anneliese Dodds, Labour MEP for the South-East of England, who in June made a blistering speech about tax dodging at the European Parliament – where politicians are allowed to breastfeed during debates – with her four-month-old daughter Isabella casually slung over her shoulder. Look at Argentinian politician Victoria Donda Pérez, whose photo went viral last year after she breastfed her baby in parliament, or Italian MEP Licia Ronzulli, who frequently brings her toddler Vittoria along to votes.

“No more boy’s club: why letting MPs breastfeed in the Commons is the only way forward”