While the reshuffle dominated talk in the village, the Data Retention and Investigatory Bill was hurtling through the Commons.
The Home Secretary’s statement to the Commons assuaged those who were demanding more from the Government. Questions remain, however.
The good, the bad and the ugly of the Government’s legislative agenda.
In politics, you need friends – well, allies, at any rate.
Nick Clegg’s original proposals were a sham – a new Recall Bill must give true power to the people.
The Richmond Park MP blasts Clegg for blocking recall, and the Prime Minister for failing to force it through.
That’s to say, we need proper open primaries, a robust right of recall, fewer MPs and Ministers – and the Commons controlling its own business.
(Could there be a connection with his EU referendum bill?)
In the areas most likely to be affected by a third runway, there are plenty of voters who back the idea.
The Richmond MP’s fight against Heathrow is a matter of principle – but also a symptom of the changing nature of MPs.
By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter It’s no surprise that Tory MPs are joining Douglas Alexander in seeking a recall of Parliament ahead of any military action in Syria. After all, 81 of them signed a letter to David Cameron in June, demanding a vote on any decision to dispatch British arms to the rebels. And […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Further to Tim Montgomerie's report earlier this morning, Conservative MPs and others are asking whether the main driver of the move was the Liberal Democrats' desire to get Hayes out of DECC – though they will find Michael Fallon no pushover: the very opposite – or David Cameron's wish […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter My series profiling the groups of Tory MPs continues with a look at a pioneering Eurosceptic group which helped backbenchers cause significant headaches for Prime Minister John Major during the early 1990s. The Bruges Group is a well-established forum for advocating looser ties with Brussels, and it has gone from a […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter For statutory regulation Robert Buckland George Eustice Sir Edward Garnier Zac Goldsmith Against statutory regulation Angie Bray Therese Coffey Damian Collins Richard Drax Kris Hopkins Peter Lilley Jacob Rees-Mogg John Whittingdale This is, as the headline says, a snapshot. It doesn't deal with speeches that didn't touch on the […]
It hasn’t helped that responsibility for children and young people’s issues has now been fragmented from the deafeningly silent DfE across Government departments.