Tagged with Recall of MPs

Main reason MPs should be recalled for by-election is doing a poor or bad job

commons bench by UK Parliament, file at http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/2700549765/sizes/s/in/photostream/The government’s Recall of MPs bill which was debated in the Commons on Tuesday, a flawed version of Zac Goldsmith’s private member’s bill, states that 10% of constituency members (about 8,000 persons) can trigger a ballot for a by-election if an MP has been given a jail sentence or if Parliament agrees a recall petition is appropriate on grounds of ‘serious wrongdoing’ – though what constitutes that is not spelt out. This is unacceptable for two reasons.

First, the decision shouldn’t lie with Parliament, but with the electors. The government position is like saying ‘You can only make a complaint against the police if the police agree to accept it’; if that were the rule, there would be public outrage. Second, the Commons debate dodged the question of the main reason why in the worst cases MPs should be subject to recall. That is where MPs are patently failing to hold the government of the day to account, which is their raison d’etre for being elected there in the first place. Continue reading →

Recall of MPs bill is a farce

cash envelopeZac Goldsmith MP deserves credit for sponsoring a bill to introduce a mechanism for the recall of MPs and to ensure that it was effective. He won a vote in the Commons in support of the principle of his bill, but the government ignored it, as they have done in about 20 instances in this Parliament since 2010 on the strongly disputed grounds that they are not bound by any vote on a matter which is not business introduced by the government.

The government didn’t like Goldsmith’s bill, and we now see why. The government’s own Recall of MPs bill which has just been unveiled after the Queen’s Speech yesterday is a complete stitch-up. It allows 10% of voters (roughly 8,000 per constituency) to trigger a by-election if an MP has been given a jail sentence (as over the expenses scandal) and has not been automatically expelled, or if Parliament agrees a recall petition is appropriate. Continue reading →