By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Fourteen Conservative MPs voted against David Cameron's proposals on press regulation earlier this evening – or, rather, against the amendments to the Crime and Courts Bill which set out proposals for exemplary damages in relation to newspapers and websites that refuse to be regulated by the new regulator. The […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter On ConHome 45 minutes ago and on Comment Is Free yesterday two Tory MPs – Bernard Jenkin and Sarah Wollaston – have both highlighted the Liberal Democrats' extraordinary hypocrisy on boundary reform. Later today Tory MPs will vote against some dubious parliamentary manoeuvring by LibDems in the Lords which […]
Dr Sarah Wollaston is Conservative MP for Totnes, Brixham and the South Ham. Follow Sarah on Twitter. When David Cameron delivers his long awaited EU speech on Friday it must be more than just an exercise in managing expectations. It is an opportunity to set out how both sides could benefit from a more constructive […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter The Conservative MP and former GP Sarah Wollaston has taken to the pages of The Guardian to make the case for gun control in the United States. She makes three key points: The scale of the problem: "There were 8,583 firearms murders in the USA in 2011, the equivalent […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Yesterday afternoon, David Cameron made a statement to the House on his recent G20 meetings. Given that the Prime Minister described the main topic of debate as "instability in the eurozone", one could have predicted Eurosceptic members would turn up in force – as indeed they did. Douglas Carswell, […]
By Jonathan Isaby A Ten-Minute Rule Bill was introduced on Wednesday by Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, who has represented Totnes since last year's general election, which would place new restrictions on how alcohol can be marketed in order to reduce children's exposure to such advertising. She explained: "Youth culture is heavily influenced by marketing and […]
By Jonathan Isaby This afternoon sees two opposition day debates initiated by the Labour Party, on fuel prices and the NHS. The Lib Dems' objections to the current NHS Bill are well documented, but four Tory MPs have popped their heads above the parapet to indicate they have concerns too. An amendment to this afternoon's […]
By Jonathan Isaby Last month Andrew Lansley wrote exclusively for ConHome here about the Government's Health and Social Care Bill. The Bill had its Second Reading in the Commons yesterday, during which new Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams gave her maiden speech and David Miliband gave his first full speech as a backbencher […]
Yesterday in the Commons saw a debate covering the Coalition Government's proposals to "extend anonymity in rape cases to defendants". There were many well-informed contributions and a number of the new Conservative intake contributed to voice their concern about the proposal and to make alternative suggestions as to a way forward. Anna Soubry (Broxtowe), was […]
Totnes’s new MP, Sarah Wollaston – a GP and the first Conservative candidate to have been selected by an all-postal primary – used her maiden speech last week to support the minimum pricing of alcohol (a proposal which Health Secretary Andrew Lansley had reportedly rejected that very morning): “After the tragedy of the Paddington rail […]
Dr Sarah Wollaston is Conservative MP for Totnes, Brixham and the South Ham. Follow Sarah on Twitter. Better our slightly anarchic, two fingers to the establishment, out-of-control press than a controlled press. Statutory controls would be a more convenient option for celebrities and politicians but the public should be very wary. Phone hacking was illegal […]