The current Conservative MP, David Ruffley, enjoys a majority of 12,380 votes.
To defend the MP for Bury St Edmunds would have been seen as support for domestic violence, so he had to go.
“I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that a protracted media debate on my private life would not serve the wider interests of the Conservative cause in East Anglia.”
And: Canny Nicky Morgan. The cruel Foreign Office. Spurn Clegg. Call Balls. A Ruffley inaccurate story. Plus: Don’t you know I’m on holiday?
The Treasury Select Committee is right to resist the Government’s plan to empower HMRC to raid bank accounts without the permission of a court.
We are making a rod for our own backs. The Commons is set to become the preserve of the fanatical, the rich and the union-funded.
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. The Daily Mail this morning reports on the 118 Conservative MPs who have written to constituents indicating their opposition to gay marriage proposals. The Mail says "Their opposition has been expressed in letters and emails sent to constituents who have contacted them with their own concerns", and points out that […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter My series profiling the backbench groups of Tory MPs has usually featured groups with general ideological goals. Groups representing the traditional right or Thatcherite wing of the Party cannot be said to focus on a single area of political life. Nor can newer groups like the Free Enterprise Group, or […]
David Ruffley MP writes about a new campaign to scrap the 50p tax band. The 50p rate proves “we’re all in this together”. Or so leading modernisers will have you believe. But they’re wrong, as five hundred entrepreneurs reminded us in a letter in today’s The Daily Telegraph. They urge George Osborne to abolish the […]
By Jonathan IsabyFollow Jonathan on Twitter I have already covered Conor Burns' sideswipe at Lord Heseltine from the debate on Lords reform, but what else happened during the debate? Overall, one got the impression that (with a few exceptions) the Conservative benches were highly sceptical about an elected second chamber – including many who are […]
By Jonathan Isaby Another extract from yesterday's Budget debate which is worth a read. The below is from David Ruffley, Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds and a member of the Treasury select committee: "The Chancellor's excellent fiscal policy is in safe hands but, sadly, monetary policy is not. The good work done by the […]
By Jonathan Isaby In advance of yesterday's debate on votes for prisoners, the man moving the motion, David Davis, made his case on ConHome here. So below are some of the highlights from the contributions of other Conservatives during the debate. NB A full breakdown of how all MPs voted is here. South West Devon […]
By Jonathan Isaby During Justice Questions yesterday, the issue of votes for prisoners was raised on the back of the recent judgment from the European Court of Human Rights. Tory MP David Ruffley proposed a radical solution for dealing with the problem: "The Hirst judgment says that article 3 of protocol 1 of the European […]
Instead of focusing just on old-fashioned GDP, we must drive up productivity and profitability.