12th May 2026 7:19 pm
The Working for an MP website is a resource for anyone working for a British Member of Parliament or with an interest in how Parliament works. You can read about the site’s history, or get in touch with suggestions or feedback, or find out about the help and advice available to staff from the House of Commons, including the IGCS Behaviour Code. It is also home to the UK’s largest listing of political jobs, at w4mpjobs.
As the debate over the election results explodes online, here’s a pertinent cartoon from our Hoby archive
Social
Follow us on Bluesky at w4mp.bsky.social. We can also be found on Facebook and remain as @w4mpsite on X/Twitter but don’t actively post there.
Latest News
- Royal British Legion parliamentary staff eventPlease note the change of date Time: 1800 – 2100Date: Thursday 4 June 2026Location: London On Thursday 4 June 2026 at 6pm-9pm before the Whitsun recess, the Royal British Legion is planning to hold a reception in Westminster for members of parliamentary…
- Library talk: The 1926 general strikeTime: 1400-1500Date: Thursday 7 May 2026Location: Online via MS Teams The 1926 general strike: an ‘unconstitutional’ act or legitimate industrial action? To mark the centenary of a landmark event in British politics (and the publication of a new book), this talk will…
- New open access online Political Staffer Resource CentreThe Political Staffer Resource Centre offers recommendations, advice and support for political advisers, their managers, and advocates for reform. It’s an open access resource developed by Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment at The University of Dundee from research on the human resource management of…
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome awareness month 2026Online talk: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome awareness month 2026 Time: 1400-1500Date: Thursday 14 May 2026Location: Online via MS TeamsFurther information: Promoting Ehlers Danlos Awareness month or email ParliAble@parliament.uk Did you know? Although at least 1 in 500 people in the UK are diagnosed with…
- Big Ben tours in MayMembers’ staff in the Commons and Lords can now apply for tickets for May tours of the Elizabeth Tower. Apply for a ticket (staff only) To apply for a ticket in February, contact the bookings team by 4pm Friday 30 April at visitparliament@parliament.uk with…
- What next for restoration and renewal of parliament?An expert panel explores how parliament should approach the major restoration project, including lessons from other countries and industry. Time: 1230-1330Date: Monday 11 May 2026Location: London, in-person and online The Palace of Westminster is one of the world’s most recognisable historic buildings…
w4mp and ParliNet
ParliNet, available to those with a parliamentary login, contains everything you need to stay connected to the parliamentary community. Use it to find information like catering menus, events, contact numbers, and the latest news. If you find any links on w4mp to the old intranet, please let us know.
To access the hotlines on Parlinet you can follow this direct link. To search the document use the SharePoint search box by typing CTRL-F / CMD-F.
Are you OK?
Are you OK? How are you coping? Do you need to talk to someone?
An MP’s office can be a busy and stressful environment at the best of times, and over the past few weeks, staff have been under a lot of extra pressure.
The work we do can put a strain on our mental health and wellbeing, and we can often feel isolated. If you are finding it difficult to cope, or just need someone to talk to, or somewhere to offload, please remember that help is available.
The Wellness Working Group offers lots of useful information advice and you can access their hub here: https://hopuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hct-wellbeinghub
Please ring the helpline and talk to someone. It’s what it’s there for.
Health Assured provides an independent support service to MPs’ staff, it is completely confidential, free and can be accessed 24/7 by phone, online portal and app. You can access support for any issue you are struggling with, it doesn’t have to be work related. Look here for further information, their helpline number and a link to access the service: https://hopuk.sharepoint.com/sites/hct-wellbeinghub/SitePages/What-suport-is-there-.aspx
What we do at w4mp
Read a welcome to the site from Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons
Archived guides can be found on the w4mp archive. They should not be relied on as expressions of current practice.
Our humourous alt.guides can be found on alt.w4mp.org, along with an archive of Hoby cartoons.
“The MPs’ assistants and researchers walk at twice the pace of everyone else and their eyes burn twice as fiercely” John Crace, The Guardian, 14 May 2015
Header image cropped from Wikimedia Commons image by user:Colin CC BY-SA-4.0
