Some backbenchers are unhappy that people who already have a job as a PPS have been allowed to stand.
Plus: A masturbatory act of self-indulgence on a grand scale. And: The backbone of a goldfish and the principles of a harridan.
“The Right” is a mythical beast – you’d have better luck nailing jelly to a wall than trying to marshal it into one outfit.
Ambitious MPs will be watching the impact of a well-targeted amendment, and wondering how to get some of the action for themselves.
Downing Street must play its own part in making peace with the Euro-sceptics.
The Government were certainly concerned about the possible rebellion, but it’s now waning.
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. That over 100 Conservative MPs voted for John Baron's amendment yesterday evening suggests that they agreed with it – that's common sense, after all, isn't it? But matters are rarely that simple in the House of Commons. A picture is beginning to emerge of Tory MPs who disagreed with […]
By Harry PhibbsFollow Harry on Twitter The BBC's Norman Smith tweets that 70 MPs have so far signed the amendment to the Queen's Speech from John Baron MP which "but respectfully regret that an EU referendum bill was not included in the Gracious Speech." Mr Smith adds that the DUP MPs have decided to support it. […]
John Baron is the Member of Parliament for Basildon and Billericay. Before entering politics, John worked in the City advising mostly charities on their investments. He presently writes a column for the FT’s Investors’ Chronicle magazine. With the dust now settling on the Budget, it is clear the Chancellor has chosen to stick with his […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. "Well, gentlemen, I see we have a good gathering tonight," said side-burned Forth, like a teddy boy relishing a dust-up with some mods at the local disco. "I think we ought to have a discussion of what this group believes in. I must say I always thought we believed […]
John Baron is the Member of Parliament for Basildon and Billericay, and a former Shadow Health Minister. If six months ago I had told you the Prime Minister was shortly going to offer the country an in/out referendum on our EU membership, you would not have believed me. We have travelled a long way since […]
John Baron MP has recently visited a number of European capitals with the Foreign Affairs Committee. He suggests David Cameron has a golden opportunity when he makes his EU speech shortly, but only if certain realities are grasped. And only if the right referendum approach is adopted. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee is currently compiling […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Yesterday in Parliament, Richard Bacon, a Conservative backbencher, tried to introduce a Bill which would repeal the Human Rights Act 1998. One of Mr Bacon's lines of argument was that the legal requirement for Ministers to amend legislation – without a vote in Parliament – in order to comply with European […]
John Baron is the Member of Parliament for Basildon and Billericay, and a former Shadow Health Minister. He is the Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer. The Coalition is laudably committed to preventing the deaths of an extra 5,000 cancer patients by 2015. Though this would only bring us up to the European average, […]
Bob Neil re-presents it for Second Reading today. Here are extracts from its Second Reading last time round