This week I was supposed to be on an Education Select Committee to Berlin but at the last minute I was told that I could not go because one of the Labour MPs was no longer going and I was needed for votes. We had no votes on Tuesday, a free vote on Monday, which I will talk about later, and the Berlin party was back in time for the Criminal Justice Bill amendments on Wednesday - more on that later too.
However, it did mean I could attend other meetings and prepare for the move to Natalie Elphick’s office - a room far superior to mine so she has been reluctant to move. It is now happening on Monday!
There was an opposition amendment on a motion on Monday concerning MP behaviour and restrictions on those who are being investigated. The Parliamentary Commission recommended that it should be at point of charge rather than being arrested but the opposition amendment wanted it to be at point of arrest rather than charge.
We have had several incidents where MPs have been banned from the Parliamentary estate for a long time before being found not guilty or not even charged in the first place and although they have been working hard from home, they have not been able to represent their constituents properly.
Being an MP is not a normal job, no one else can do the job of an individual MP, and constituents quite rightly expect us to vote on their behalf so it is important to have access to voting. There was a Commission proposal they should be able to apply for a proxy vote and that went through. Sadly, there are a number of vexatious allegations against MPs and it is not fair on those MPs or constituents if the ban was enforced at the arrest stage rather than charge, in my view.
Unfortunately, there were no tellers for the vote on the whole Motion which would have meant that the Commission would have had the chance to reconsider so the amendment stands. We don’t want people who have broken the law in the House, but the system needs to be sorted so that constituents have a voice.
The Prime Minister made a speech about security and the threats facing us on Monday but also outlined some of the economic and technological opportunities that will power us into the future. You can read his speech here with political content taken out: PM speech on security: 13 May 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) If you would like a copy of his full speech, do email me.
The next major piece of legislation was on Wednesday with amendments on the Criminal Justice Bill. This is being done in two parts as there are so many amendments so my amendment on bringing back face-to-face consultations for women about to take an abortion pill, will come forward after Recess, which starts on 23rd May.
The Lib Dems were up to their usual mischief in pursuit of headlines again this week without having any idea of what they are doing except it might get some social media clicks.
They put forward an amendment that would have put any court cases against polluting water companies into double jeopardy as the legislation is already in place to prosecute any spillages and pollution under the Environment Agency.
This amendment nonsensically would have given duplicate powers of performance failures already held by Ofwat to the Environment Agency leading to confusion over which regulator oversees what. Bizarrely, the Lib Dems are now claiming that we voted against criminalising water bosses but that was another amendment that was not selected. It is somewhat worrying, although not surprising, they do not seem to understand what they are doing.
It is Dementia Action week and I visited three drop-ins to hear about lots of different charities and the work that they are doing. Early diagnosis is so important and treatments are being discovered. I talked to a Professor at Imperial College who was very interested in describing how they were blocking the amyloid plaques that cause dementia. He has been part of the Geller Commission. My doctor daughter wrote her dissertation on dementia and amyloid plaques and I proofread it for her as she is dyslexic. She is now an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon so has nothing to do with that side of medicine, but it was very helpful to me to understand a little bit about dementia. I have been a Dementia Friend for a long time and am concerned how long it takes to get a diagnosis. The actor and James Bond Baddie Jonathan Price is a trustee of the Alzheimer’s Society, so we got a picture with him.
There was also a chance to taste some ciders one evening and I am pleased to say that low alcohol cider is delicious. On Thursday I met with a constituent who is an academic looking at how schools use digital technology to aid learning rather than dictate it. I was pleased she agreed that smartphones have no place in the classroom. Today I attended a class at Padnell Junior on using the internet safely - organised by Parentzone who work with schools all over the country.
I have also had a meeting with South Western Railway to talk about the overcrowding and poor service - something I encountered on my way home on Wednesday from Waterloo. I suspect many of you also stood for hours at the station or on the train. Apparently a 14-year -old girl was wandering around the tracks at Raynes Park and it caused havoc. I left Parliament at 7.15pm and got home at 11.45pm. I suspect others had a similar problem.
Good news today is that the improvements at Junction 9 of the M3 are going ahead. This is going to help with traffic congestion around the A34/M3 and make all our lives much easier as well as helping the local economy. Massive thank you to the Secretary of State for Transport on this and all the local MPs who have been lobbying for it.
Tomorrow I will be at the Meonstoke Plant Sale and then out with the Street Pastors very late.
Have a good weekend.
