The story behind the Serjeant at Arms

One of the few pieces of good news for Parliament was the appointment last week of Jill Pay as the first ever female Serjeant at Arms, the official in tights in charge of Commons security. Popular among her colleagues, the achievement is the result of her years of hard work as she rose through the ranks.

Apparently, however, it nearly didn't happen. When the parliamentary authorities realised that there was a shortlist of one - a woman, gasp - they hesitated and introduced a second name, a retired army type with little experience. But the prospect of an army buffer trumping years of graft appalled the Speaker, who stepped in and ensured that she got the job, something that has gone down well among Labour colleagues.

Parliament has not, however, quite been able to make a virtue of her appointment. Although Pay would be more than happy to be interviewed to tell her story, the authorities are apparently less than keen that she does and have blocked it. Bet that can't hold.

Comments

[Chuck Unsworth]

Oh do come on, Sam. 'Serjeant', I think. The title being Serjeant at Arms or Sergeant at Arms.

As to Pay. One has to wonder about the motivation behind the Speaker's intervention . He's hardly shown himself to be truly concerned by rectitude. And it's a very bad thing indeed when there's a 'shortlist of one' - witness the accession of Brown. How hard did they look, then?