Recall of MPs Bill

I suspect that the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen) would be robust in the face of suc...

My right hon. Friend may know that I have recalled myself and that I am not standing again at the...

First, let me say that we will miss my right hon. Friend in this House, and we are sorry that he ...

My right hon. Friend has said that there are people who have been sentenced to prison to whom thi...

Clearly, this Bill would not apply retrospectively, but the two people who would have been caught...

They have gone.

My right hon. Friend makes a reasonable point that those Members chose to resign. The fact that i...

Is the issue not somewhat different? It is about not how we feel, but how our constituents feel. ...

My right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan) and the right hon. Gentlem...

My right hon. Friend is making a good case, and I shall certainly be supporting him. As the right...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his point. He is taking up a popular cause, but there are occ...

rose—

Let me make a bit of progress. The diametrically opposed view is that a recall system should be i...

The right hon. Gentleman is explaining quite clearly the difference between what is misconduct an...

I do understand both points that my hon. Friend makes. The question of a trigger is something tha...

Wrongdoing is always to be condemned. Is it not the case that MPs such as Sydney Silverman, who u...

The drafting of the Bill reflects that undesirable risk that matters of conscience could result i...

Several of us have serious worries about undermining not just the sovereignty of Parliament, but ...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Many hon. Members will be familiar with what Edmund Burke sai...

I support the Bill, but I am sure that the Minister realises that it has serious flaws. For examp...

Clearly, like most legislation, the Bill will not apply retrospectively, but if the Standards Com...

I have been here long enough to know that Bills are all too often a huge sledgehammer to crack a ...

I hope that hon. Members on both sides of the House will concede that we are proceeding with caut...

I would take the Government’s position more seriously if, at the start of this Parliament in 2010...

My hon. Friend takes us on to an area that could detain us for the rest of the day. He and I woul...

I broadly support the Bill, but with regard to that point, is it strictly necessary? It is open t...

My hon. Friend, who is learned and reflective on these matters, is right that the power to expel ...

What discussions has the Minister had with the devolved Governments about using the Bill to empow...

I think I have made it clear that the Bill is not the last word on recall. It will apply specific...

The Minister will be well aware that five Sinn Fein Members do not take their seats in the House....

The hon. Lady makes an important point in the context of Northern Ireland. My understanding is th...

I favour a recall Bill and understand that my right hon. Friend has found it difficult to get an ...

My right hon. Friend clearly exposes one of the aspects of our debate. The decision would be in t...

It really comes back to the point—many Members have made it—about the threshold needing to be hig...

The right hon. Gentleman makes an excellent point. None of us would be here today had we not had ...

With the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I will make some progress before giving way again.

Comparisons with the second trigger prov...

Surely the Minister realises that the reliance on the Standards Committee goes to the root of pub...

That is exactly why the Committee is reflecting upon its current arrangements and considering whe...

I agree entirely with the two triggers that my right hon. Friend has outlined, but surely there i...

As I have made clear, there are many views about the level of the recall and what the mechanism s...

Although the decision to suspend a Member is one for this House, the effective trigger for that p...

That is exactly what I was alluding to when I said that the Standards Committee is considering wa...

Returning to the point made by our hon. Friend the Member for North East Somerset (Jacob Rees-Mog...

I was not aware of that and so am intrigued by what my hon. Friend says. I see that the Governmen...

rose—

I will make some progress, because many Members wish to speak.

I will turn briefly to the c...

I welcome the tone and tenor of the Minister’s opening speech and in particular the commitment th...

I am tired of this general slagging-off of people who work so hard for their constituencies. Like...

I partly agree with the hon. Gentleman. It is about how all of us do the job and about the cultur...

I do not disagree with much of what the hon. Gentleman has said about the level of distrust, but ...

The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. Later I shall refer to a distinction that others...

My hon. Friend is making a powerful argument about the disgust that many of our constituents stil...

I will come to those issues in a moment. The straightforward answer is no, I do not think those m...

Can the hon. Gentleman envisage a situation where the political pressure would be on the Standard...

The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. I will address the role of the Standards Committee in...

To correct the shadow Minister and for the information of the House, I point out that there are i...

The Minister is including Members who resigned from the House before the Standards Committee’s pr...

The hon. Gentleman is providing a strong critique of the Government’s Bill and I agree with much ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman. I will refer shortly to some of the proposals that he has made. I am ...

While we are correcting the record, the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr Jackson), who is no long...

I thank my hon. Friend for putting that on the record.

The example of the “cash for questio...

The stories mentioned by the hon. Members for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) and for Peterborough (Mr Jac...

I absolutely agree. That is why the principle of recall is so important and why this Bill is welc...

I am pleased that the hon. Gentleman believes, as I do, that the Bill needs to be strengthened an...

Clearly, we will have amendments to that effect before the House meets next Monday, and it is rig...

Does my hon. Friend think that there is any room in this Bill to deal with the situation where Me...

My hon. Friend is tempting me into an area that I do not think I will be tempted into. I am sure ...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for allowing me to tempt him in a related but different direc...

Yes indeed. It is very important that this legislation applies to all elected Members of Parliame...

The hon. Gentleman’s point about Terry Fields proves exactly why it is so hard to define what is ...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point of substance that we need to consider as the Bill pro...

A moment ago my hon. Friend referred to the need for lay members to be involved in the process of...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right; I am glad that he has made that point. That will be a crucial...

There has been some discussion about the need to ensure that we have more lay members involved in...

I know that the hon. Gentleman has campaigned on this issue for a very long time and has a consis...

The hon. Gentleman said that Terry Fields would probably have been re-elected with a massive majo...

The hon. Gentleman is making an important point about the risk of a relatively small minority of—...

I have great admiration for members of the public—after all, they are my electorate—but could the...

I do not understand why the hon. Gentleman is asking that question. Did I use that phrase?

The shadow Minister agreed with the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Wayne David) that we should invol...

They are those who are representative of the full range of the public. Often people who are appoi...

My hon. Friend is making a very good point. We need look no further than the United States, where...

My hon. Friend makes a powerful point, which reinforces a concern felt by many—not just in this H...

May I add to the excellent point the shadow Minister has just made that if there were three or fo...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman and will return to that point in a moment.

The constant pre...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for referring to our committee, but I think he underestimates the wisd...

The right hon. Gentleman has anticipated the next and, Members will be relieved to hear, final pa...

Is there not a danger in all this of intimidating Members of Parliament against taking up unpopul...

My hon. Friend makes that case strongly, as have others, both in this place and elsewhere. That i...

Will the shadow Minister give an indication of the Labour party’s thinking? If the House of Commo...

That is a matter that should be decided by those devolved bodies. I understand that there have be...

Of all the promises made in the heat of the expenses scandal, recall was the only one that resona...

The hon. Gentleman knows that I support his amendments. He mentions hon. Members not attending Pa...

The very basis of the version of recall that I and, I am pleased to say, a great many colleagues ...

My hon. Friend is making very powerful arguments that he has held dear for a long time. May I sug...

I could not agree more. That is precisely why I believe that we need a proper recall system—not s...

I am very interested in what the hon. Gentleman says about recall empowering voters. In practice,...

I will explain why such concerns are groundless during my speech, but I will make one point, part...

I am sorry, but that is not the point. Expenditure limits can be put on the recall election, but ...

Trust the voters.

This is not about trusting the voters, but about putting influence in the hands of a small group ...

The hon. Gentleman takes a very dim view of his electorate if he thinks that that is so easy. Irr...

What happens in practice in the United States is that individuals who take against a policy or a ...

You don’t trust the voters.

I do trust the electorate. The hon. Gentleman should stop chuntering from a sedentary position. T...

To my knowledge, in the United States there are no limits on expenditure and on broadcasters; in ...

Does my hon. Friend not agree that recall is not about licensing vexatious attempts to unseat MPs...

My hon. Friend is exactly right—I hope in due course to make such points as well as she has—inclu...

When I sat on the Standards and Privileges Committee, it was interesting to see the sort of compl...

I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention, and I will address her points properly, but if she f...

I think that my hon. Friend’s proposals include not having a recall opportunity within six months...

That would open up a whole new debate, but that is for another time. In the Bill put together by ...

rose—

I will make some progress and then take as many interventions as there is an appetite for.

...

indicated assent.

It is correct, so hopefully the hon. Member for Bolsover will not be appalled that I have used th...

My hon. Friend mentioned pressure groups from the left and the right of politics. I have not had ...

That is interesting. I have been bombarded. I even received a letter this morning that said, “Dea...

The hon. Gentleman made me think of some of the lines in the Bill when he mentioned the hon. Memb...

That is a good point that I had not picked up on. The hon. Gentleman made the valid and reasonabl...

At the point when the 5% figure was reached, the MP’s reputation would be damaged because the loc...

The purpose of the 5% figure is to take the temperature and to demonstrate to the returning offic...

Is the last paragraph of the hon. Gentleman’s speech in favour of recall or against it?

I am very sorry, but will the right hon. Gentleman repeat his question?

The hon. Gentleman appears to be saying that even if we accepted his extreme version of recall, i...

That is not at all what I am saying. I do not want to trivialise the concern of Members across th...

My hon. Friend and I have had many civilised conversations about this matter over recent weeks. M...

My hon. Friend makes a good point. I think that 5% is about the right level, and that was the con...

I have great sympathy with many of my hon. Friend’s arguments about recall, but were his plans to...

The regulations we are using for those who sign the recall petition are exactly the same as those...

As I understand it, my hon. Friend’s alternative approach would enable a recall petition to be tr...

One supporter of the amendments that will be tabled is my hon. Friend the Member for Ribble Valle...

In support of what my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley) said, I ...

Order. Mr Goldsmith, you have been speaking for 27 minutes and have been very generous with inter...

Thank you for that helpful reminder, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will wrap up my speech quickly, but ...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

In one moment, if my hon. Friend does not mind.

In dozens of democracies around the world t...

Gun control.

There are no examples of that. There are examples of attempted recall on the back of gun control,...

It is a delight to follow the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith). I just want to pick ...

There was a general election in May 1979. It may have escaped the hon. Gentleman’s attention, but...

If it had not been for the vote of no confidence and the nationalists joining with the Conservati...

The hon. Gentleman mentions Edmund Burke. In Burke’s famous address to his electors in Bristol he...

I will come on to whether there should be a recall in a situation in which MPs disagree with thei...

I am listening to the hon. Gentleman’s arguments and his use of statistics. I would just like to ...

The hon. Gentleman must have hacked into my computer, because he has basically said what I am abo...

I must take the hon. Gentleman back a few minutes in his speech. I am sure I am not alone in feel...

I am very fond of the hon. Lady, but I think she has deliberately misunderstood what I was saying...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will once I have finished my point.

One Mail journalist told me they were taking bets in ...

rose—

This is my last sentence, and I am sure that people have heard quite enough from me—

rose—

I am sorry, I did promise to give way to the right hon. Gentleman.

At the risk of repeating the hon. Gentleman’s point, I remember that we discussed that issue at t...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The proof of that is that after those events, in th...

rose—

I am not going to give way to the hon. Gentleman, because I have finished.

2.51 pm

I put in to speak in this debate with righteous indignation because I thought I was going to be e...

I share my hon. Friend’s reverence and respect for the institution of Parliament, and I very much...

My hon. Friend makes an interesting point. Institutions are only as powerful as the trust that pe...

I feel so strongly about recall that I recalled myself. All three established parties pretended t...

If there was a way to put more power back in the hands of the electorate to decide whether an MP ...

I certainly would. My hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith) is going to table ...

I do not want to get personal about other Members of Parliament, as I do not think it appropriate...

The point I was illustrating is that MPs often look at recall, but recoil from it because they fe...

I have been following the hon. Gentleman’s arguments over a long time. In many ways, he talks a g...

I am a little surprised that my hon. Friend should recoil from the idea that voters might vote ag...

Speaking as someone who recently faced a jury, may I say how grateful I was for their independenc...

I am grateful for that powerful point. If I thought that this measure would allow lynch mob justi...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his forbearance. He makes a good point about jurors, but before so...

That strengthens my point considerably. Until the 1930s, this country had grand juries to determi...

Further to the hon. Gentleman’s point about grand juries, does he accept that the last group of p...

I absolutely agree. There are many good and decent Members who would never be given as fair a hea...

It is worth pointing out the Chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee has already said ...

Absolutely. I would ask people again to apply the Ian Gibson test. If the Standards and Privilege...

The hon. Gentleman said that recall would end safe seat syndrome. How will it do that?

At present, the career trajectories of MPs in safe seats are determined by how obsequious they ar...

Is not the ultimate battering ram against “safe seat syndrome”, as it has been described this aft...

I would rather not get into the subject of electoral reform, although my views on it were not gen...

I think that the hon. Gentleman is being rather unkind about “safe seat syndrome”, which has been...

My hon. Friend has made my point for me, rather eloquently. There are very good and decent people...

I think that 10 years ago I would have opposed the Bill, because I would have taken the conventio...

I am listening carefully to my right hon. Friend. If, as a result of such a referendum, a politic...

This point has been made a number of times, particularly by the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Br...

Much of what the right hon. Gentleman says about our constituents is true. However, he is perhaps...

The hon. Gentleman misses the point that my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park made. This w...

Mention has been made today of the disengagement with politics in the wider context, but it might...

Am I right in thinking that the even the Conservative party is having a renaissance in Scotland?<...

The hon. Gentleman might be on to something, but I think that it might have to be called a relati...

I have some sympathy with what the hon. Gentleman says, but that would not stop a wealthy individ...

The hon. Gentleman might be correct in some of that, but we do live in an imperfect world. All I ...

The hon. Gentleman is making a brilliant speech, and I agree with I think everything he has just ...

I think there is a debate going on around me here about the influence of money in politics, and h...

I hope that the Minister will intervene on this matter. My understanding is that detention is not...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that, and there should be absolutely no ambiguity here. T...

Although I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Broxbourne (Mr Walker) that there has been to...

Does the hon. Gentleman have any confidence in his party leadership’s record on political reform?...

That is a rather unfair question. It was the hon. Gentleman’s party leadership until a few weeks ...

It is customary to begin a speech by declaring an interest, but in this case I can declare a disi...

My right hon. Friend is arguing against allowing people to decide who their representatives are o...

That is what I believe in. I do not believe that introducing a recall system will further that de...

indicated dissent.

It is no good people who do not agree with me shaking their heads, because I am sure that is the ...

The example that the hon. Gentleman gives is an argument for recall. The Member of Parliament he ...

Yes, but she would have been put to all the bother and expense of fighting for her seat in the mi...

That is the idea.

I know that is the idea, and that is what is wrong with it. That is why it is a stupid idea.

It is a great privilege to follow the right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson)...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. If a Member is caught indulging in corrupt actions, I have no...

I concur entirely with my hon. Friend. As always, his words are wise and should be listened to by...

The hon. Gentleman has used the word “democracy” a few times. As I am sure he and everybody else ...

If the hon. Gentleman will hold on for a few moments, I will hopefully answer his question.

Will my hon. Friend turn his attention to Members of Parliament who are voted for by the electora...

I do not know whether my hon. Friend was here earlier, but I talked about honour, which is sadly ...

I am a little confused. My hon. Friend keeps saying that there is a big chasm between us and the ...

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention but—dare I say it—I think it is a little simplistic ...

We in this place all search for a silver bullet and an easy solution to our problems. In 2009 it ...

I agree entirely. What will restore faith in this place is us—the parties and individuals that ma...

If we think back to the expenses scandal, is the hon. Gentleman saying that nothing dishonourable...

I am not quite sure I got that, because I am so staggered by the question. Perhaps the hon. Gentl...

Is the hon. Gentleman saying that during the expenses scandal nothing dishonourable happened—he h...

I am not sure I have ever said that. In fact, I have said the opposite. If people have behaved—le...

Have they all gone?

Ah. That is another question. I am not going to look back with hindsight. I was not even here. We...

It is as well to remember that the expenses scandal in the 2005-10 Parliament was the result not ...

I take my hon. Friend’s point entirely; he is absolutely right.

I was not here, but I have ...

I struggle to find any part of the remarks of the hon. Member for South Dorset (Richard Drax) wit...

I agree with the thrust of the hon. Gentleman’s remarks. Does he not think that what lies behind ...

Absolutely. I fully take the point. I believe that the bottom line, as regards the democratic pri...

Everyone agrees with the hon. Gentleman about such bad behaviour, but does he agree with us on th...

I certainly believe that hon. Members should be clearly protected when expressing their views pro...

I am afraid that kind words butter no parsnips. If the hon. Gentleman supports the amendments pro...

I am almost being prompted to speak specifically to some of the amendments. The hon. Member for G...

I do not know whether my hon. Friend plans to serve on the Bill Committee, but given his knowledg...

Order.

I am sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker.

I fully accept what my hon. Friend says, which is why I have said that just as some of the clause...

rose—

Before I take another intervention, I want to go back to an issue raised by the hon. Member for L...

Before the hon. Gentleman was interrupted, he spoke momentarily about what happens when a Member ...

If people want to recall on that basis, yes, they should be able to do so, which is why I am supp...

I agree with my hon. Friend—I refer to him in that way because I like him very much—on most thing...

I take the spirit of the hon. Gentleman’s point, but I do not accept it literally. If we are to t...

The hon. Gentleman is making a very good point about the 10%, but will it not be dealt with by on...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for making that point. Those of us who were members of the pick-up ban...

As the hon. Gentleman well knows, notwithstanding the safeguards that he has described, in Northe...

People can organise petitions, and perhaps they can achieve the 5% and perhaps they can then achi...

Will the hon. Gentleman address a very particular situation in Northern Ireland, namely the anony...

I entirely take the hon. Lady’s point. People do indeed vote for candidates who present themselve...

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this interesting debate, and I am pleased to f...

My right hon. Friend makes the point that those in favour of these amendments believe, as I think...

I agree. I have been listening carefully to the debate, and it is interesting to consider under w...

I prosecuted nine murder trials and all manner of other things in my previous career, so I can en...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who has such expertise, for endorsing that point.

It goes ...

My right hon. Friend places a lot of emphasis on the issue of due process, but due process is not...

I understand my hon. Friend’s point. I am afraid that there are too many risks to be confident th...

Is my right hon. Friend not drawing the distinction between the Government’ proposals, which, alt...

My hon. Friend leads me on to the most important aspect of this, which is that what is being soug...

I agree with everything that the former Leader of the House is saying, and I want to ask him a ge...

I am happy to think about that, and I am sure that our Front-Bench colleagues will also be willin...

rose—

When I was Leader of the House, I always enjoyed hearing the often highly educated views of the s...

The right hon. Gentleman says that he was involved in the Bill’s drafting and that it is good to ...

The coalition agreement did say that, but draft legislation was published in 2011, which was reas...

How were you involved?

I was involved not least because of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s comments ...

As important as recall is, what was much more important in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 was fi...

I do not suppose that I am overestimating the Bill’s importance, although it was important that w...

rose—

rose—

I will give way first to the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil), who is being very...

I am trying to understand exactly what the right hon. Gentleman is saying. Is he saying, for exam...

The hon. Gentleman raises an interesting question, and not a hypothetical one—let us face it: he ...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for honouring his pledge to give way to me. I think that he...

This is very difficult, because we are necessarily debating what the circumstances would be, but ...

Surely the evidence my right hon. Friend is looking for is in the bit of the Bill that is covered...

My hon. Friend will recall that I am not enamoured of 38 Degrees, but it is interesting to make t...

The right hon. Gentleman has used the phrase “representative democracy” on a number of occasions....

It is not that Members have something to fear from participation in our democracy—far from it. I ...

My right hon. Friend is describing Parliament as if it were made up of hundreds of free spirits w...

I am quite old fashioned: Members would have to look quite far back to find a point at which I di...

This is also a constitutional issue. We make judgments on behalf of our constituents on issues th...

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. We are not delegates or ciphers; we are representatives. ...

I have been called earlier than expected, because there seems to be a lack of Opposition Members ...

The Bill is fundamental to us being a democracy, and I am proud that the Government have introduc...

The very fact that the hon. Lady has outlined so many safeguards is an indication that she knows ...

I would love to think that we lived in a world where we were all saints and there were no sinners...

If we want to deal with an abuse of democracy and win trust back, does the hon. Lady realise that...

The hon. Gentleman has the advantage of me. That is something close to his heart and he understan...

I wonder whether one might suggest that the lack of a job description is one of the things that c...

The hon. Lady makes a very interesting point, but it is not quite as simple as giving us a job de...

I am not suggesting there should be a job description, but in a representative democracy, people ...

The hon. Lady makes another good point about the challenge, which the Government have faced, of t...

On the distinction between a legitimate issue of criminal misbehaviour and sincere, well-meaning ...

We can speculate about what might have happened, but it is not as simple as whether something is ...

I welcome the fact that the Government have introduced the Bill and I congratulate them. It has b...

Members have campaigned on issues such as abortion or ending the criminalisation of homosexuality...

I cannot disagree; private Members’ Bills have indeed played a very important role over the years...

I want to make a brief intervention in this debate, because so far no one who has sat on the Stan...

As a former Chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee and a former Chief Whip, my right ...

The debates about Standards and Privileges Committee reports that take place on the Floor of the ...

Is the right hon. Gentleman saying that we are in danger of becoming obsessed with the process le...

I think that the process should be linked, if not to a conviction, to serious misconduct. As my h...

Let me declare an interest at the outset, as an adjunct associate professor of British politics a...

Not that young.

Yes, not that young in some cases.

I also take issue with the comments of the hon. Member f...

I recognise my hon. Friend’s wisdom and understanding of political history, but, on history, may ...

My hon. Friend is such a decent and generous gentleman that he did give me notice yesterday that ...

I suppose the worst case scenario with the Government’s Bill is when somebody does something that...

My hon. Friend makes a very good point, but I come back to a central issue that was touched on by...

Is my hon. Friend not highlighting the case for the amendments of my hon. Friend the Member for R...

Again, I have enormous respect for my hon. Friend, but my big concern about the amendments is mis...

I think that everyone here who believes in the recall of MPs would like to see a system that is n...

I understand. Let me put it on the record that my hon. Friend is a decent, diligent and caring Me...

I worked for John Hume as his Westminster assistant for many years, and the truth is that he woul...

I defer to the hon. Gentleman’s knowledge. Of course John Hume was greatly liked and respected in...

It is a pleasure to be participating in the latter stages of this important debate and to follow ...

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way; he is making a powerful speech. On his point about gay mar...

That is a very good question. Some hon. Ladies and Gentlemen in this Chamber have known me for mo...

I would be interested to know why my hon. Friend thinks that others might do that as a consequenc...

My hon. Friend has given me an excellent introduction to how I want to end my speech. I will supp...

It is a pleasure to follow so many powerful speeches, none more so than that just given by my hon...

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that all the conditions that have been attached to the recall mech...

That is a fair point. However, the public are not one thing, are they? The public are made up of ...

The thresholds that the hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson) talks about would be in the ha...

The hon. Gentleman is right. That is why, although I will reflect on what I have heard today—I am...

My hon. Friend is making a strong speech. I think that the answer to his reasonable question as t...

My hon. Friend made a powerful speech. At the heart of the issue is whether the public, with no p...

None of the Lib Dem Members with whom I have spoken believe they would have been recalled on the ...

My hon. Friend, as ever, makes a subtle and important point, which takes me back to the observati...

I support the Bill. Does the hon. Gentleman accept that this is not about whether we trust the pu...

I take that point on board. For the entire period during which I have been involved with the Cons...

That may possibly be the case. However, if a very well-financed individual or organisation campai...

The argument against the amendments of my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park is that powerf...

I support the principles behind the Bill. The hon. Gentleman must be aware that over the years th...

Ultimately, however, it would not be the press barons but our electorates who decided. If the hon...

Is not the truth that the people we are talking about—Leo Abse, Sydney Silverman, David Steel and...

I tend to agree. There is an idea that powerful outside forces will pick on a Member of Parliamen...

On behalf of the Opposition, I will respond to the debate and place on the record our position on...

We have had an impassioned debate and I am very grateful to all hon. Members for their contributi...

Last weekend, in response to the hon. Member for Clacton (Douglas Carswell), the Prime Minister a...

Both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have indicated that the Bill could be impro...

I can confirm that I will not be joining the Liberal Democrats.

I was not suggesting that was what the hon. Gentleman had in mind; I was thinking he might set up...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I need to make some progress.

The right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobso...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

Give way!

I am sorry, but I am not going to give way. I want to pick up on a couple of points that were mad...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not give way, as I still want to respond to a couple of speeches.

I understand why t...

Order. Before I come to the programme motion and ask a Minister or Whip to move it, I should tell...