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. 5.30pm Update: The Scrap Metal Dealers Bill actually passed through the House. Philip Davies and Christopher Chope did not talk out the Bill – which they are certainly adept at doing – as expected, and it passed through to Third Reading. The Government supported the Bill – although it […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Yesterday afternoon, the House of Commons questioned David Cameron on his trip to the European Council. Backbench Conservative opinion being mostly Eurosceptic, the Prime Minister received some testing questions. At the Council, issues like the next European budget and a Europe-wide banking union were discussed, and at home, the issue […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Michael Crick tweeted earlier this evening: "Four MPs at 1922 Committee critical of Andrew Mitchell – Andrew Percy, James Duddridge, Ann Main, Sarah Wollaston. 12-15 backed him." I am told that the difference of view was more 50-50 than three or four to one. (Memories don't always tally, as […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter This morning's Express urges Michael Gove to write to every teacher in Britain warning them not to propagandise for the European Union. The newspaper is responding to suggestions that the EU is funding pro-Brussels propaganda in Britain's schools. The EU's Spring Day in Europe project, for example, encourages “debates and […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. On Friday, 50 MPs, including 34 Conservatives, wrote a letter to the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, expressing their "serious concerns" with the Department of Health’s proposal to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products. The letter stated that: "There is no reliable evidence that plain packaging will have any public health […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. 4pm update: People's Pledge sources tells me that Anne Marie Morris, the MP for Newton Abbot has come out in support of a referendum. Mike Freer, the MP for Finchley and Golders Green, has also backed a referendum. This is significant because Freer was not one of the 81 rebels, […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Yesterday in Parliament – the first time the House has sat for a few weeks – Michael Gove answered Education Questions. These are probably the most enjoyable questions session in Parliament at the moment – as one would expect, given the wit Mr Gove brings to the Chamber. The first […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter If Labour's failure to vote against the 50p rate cut they've criticised was yesterday evening's Commons farce, a small number of Conservative MPs helped to provide the serious fare. Graham Brady, Douglas Carswell, Christopher Chope, Philip Davies, Edward Leigh, David Nuttall and John Stanley – voted in favour of […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Paul Goodman appears in this Sunday Politics report on Lords reform, warning that Lib Dems might withdraw support from the boundaries review if they don't get an elected Lords. Tories need to understand, says Ming Campbell, that belief in an elected Lords is in the Lib Dems' DNA. After […]
Philip Davies is MP for Shipley and a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee A free press is the cornerstone of a free country – one in which the Government and the rich and powerful can be held to account and their misdemeanours brought to the attention of the public. At the […]