I think an MP should be easily contactable and personally interested in constituents’ views and problems. I wrote a daily diary piece seven days a week all year setting out my views and actions on national matters, and often a second piece on local issues where I was involved or urging the Council to...
Parliament can make mountains out of any molehill in the UK, once we have left the EU. It is curious that those most hostile to our departure from the EU now claim to be the most protective of the very Parliamentary sovereignty they so wantonly gave away. They need not worry. Out of the...
Parliament will have every opportunity to debate the progress of the Brexit negotiations over our future relationship with the EU. Right now Parliament needs to show resolve to get on and send the letter under Article 50. It is annoying many on the continent that the UK has delayed this process. The government is...
The European Parliament reminds us they can veto or approve any EU/UK deal on the future relationship.Some of them also say they want to offer EU citizen rights to individual UK citizens who want it. This appears to be a generous offer, as of course the UK will no longer be paying in or...
Parliament voted 494 to 122 to notify the European Union of our intention to leave. Parliament voted to carry out the wishes of the people, as expressed in the referendum. Parliament, after much debate, self examination and passionate exchange, voted to take back control. The puppet Parliament of recent years, nodding through countless laws...
Yesterday Opposition MPs shed crocodile tears about the need for a sovereign Parliament. They were under the misapprehension that Parliament has no proper role in the Brexit process. They seemed to think only unelected Judges could uphold the sovereignty of Parliament against a government determined to implement the wishes of the electors as expressed...
By request I am republishing my May 2016 speech Is this a puppet Parliament? Or does it have within it the ability to take back control? Is this puppet Parliament to remain a mere cipher for Brussels? Or can it take back control to make our own laws and levy our taxes? Was not...
In the very week that the Supreme Court solemnly considers a case about whether Parliament should debate and vote on an Article 5o letter or not, Parliament holds a debate and a vote on just that topic. I have explained endlessly to those interested that Parliament can any time debate and discuss Brexit. Indeed,...
Most commentators are going on about the £23bn extra spending the Chancellor has proposed based on the spin lines out of the OBR and Treasury. I look at the actual figures in the Green book compared to the March Budget figures. These show that total managed expenditure will be £46.1bn higher over the rest...
I have reworked some remarks I made in Parliament recently. It is background to the current debate about whether Parliament should immediately get on and approve a short Bill to send the Article 50 letter, or whether the government should continue to seek to reverse the strange decision by the High Court of England,...