Category Archives: Parliament

Anything connected with business in the Houses of Commons or Lords (eg, PMQs).

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore MP | Published 8th February 2012 - 8:55 am

Referendum on Independence

Now that we know that a referendum will definitely be held on Scottish independence, I am committed to working with the Scottish Government to ensure we have one that is fair, legal and decisive. A few weeks ago I launched a consultation to seek views on how we could achieve this and I want to encourage Borderers to take part to make their voices heard on this incredibly important issue.

Following the launch of the consultation I have also met with the CBI, Scottish Engineering and others and I plan to meet with many other Scottish businesses, representatives of …

Tagged ed davey, independence referendum, michael moore, post offices, Scotland, Westminster Notes | 1 Comment

Nick Clegg on being Nick Clegg in The House magazine

By Prateek Buch | Published 3rd February 2012 - 3:00 pm

Deputy Prime Minister gave a wide-ranging interview to The House magazine, in which he discusses how it’s right for the two coalition parties to differentiate themselves once a stable government was formed:

In the run-up to the general election, you may remember, the tabloids were screaming, saying that if there was a hung Parliament locusts would descend from the sky and the sun would be blotted out, you know… so we needed for those first few months to show the most important thing of all, which is this is a government that works, and actually works rather well.

Of course,

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Also posted in News | Tagged coalition, lords reform, nick clegg | 1 Comment

The other issue Lib Dem peers can win on tomorrow

By Mark Pack | Published 31st January 2012 - 4:25 pm

Moves in the House of Lords to amend the health and welfare bills have been getting the lion’s share of recent coverage, but this week sees a quartet of Liberal Democrat peers leading the charge on a different topic – the Legal Aid Bill.

Lib Dem Lords Thomas, Carlile, Clement Jones and Phillips have a set of amendments down for debate tomorrow to put right what Ken Clarke hasn’t got right in his zeal to end the so-called ‘compensation culture’. The amendments look to tighten up and improve the plans to ban so-called ‘referral fees’ in personal injury cases. Its these fees which …

Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged alex carlile, ken clarke, legal aid, lord (martin) thomas, lord phillips of sudbury, tim clement-jones | 5 Comments

Council Tax – why not a premium for second homes?

By Annette Brooke MP | Published 31st January 2012 - 9:23 am

In addition to the Government’s proposals to allow councils to charge full council tax on second homes, other Liberal Democrat MPs and I have tabled an amendment to the Local Government Finance Bill to give councils the discretion to introduce a Second Home Premium. Second home owners often ask why they should be ‘punished’ in this way just because they choose to spend their money on a second home or because they need a second home for work purposes. They may add, ‘we spend money in the area and we do not have the same call upon services as …

Also posted in News | Tagged annette brooke, council tax, second homes | 24 Comments

PMQs: The importance of Doncaster, almost to the exclusion of everything else

By Paul Walter | Published 26th January 2012 - 12:56 pm

At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, David Cameron and Ed Miliband first clashed on the subject of economic growth (or, indeed, contraction). That entanglement was, more or less, a score draw. But Ed Miliband was much stronger during a later exchange on the NHS reform bill, culminating with this belter:

I shall tell the Prime Minister what is happening in the NHS: waiting lists up, morale down. What does the majority-Conservative Select Committee on Health say about his reorganisation? It says that it will be a “disruption and distraction that hinders the ability of organisations to” release savings.

Let us be frank: this

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Also posted in PMQs | Tagged david cameron, economy, ed miliband, eleanor laing, malcolm bruce, NHS, sir robert smith | 3 Comments

Opening up public sector procurement, creating opportunities for local enterprises

By Dick Newby | Published 24th January 2012 - 3:24 pm

This coming Friday I will introduce the Second Reading of a Bill which has the capacity to permanently change the way in which public sector bodies procure services – whether local authorities, NHS trusts or Government Departments. It will require them to consider how what is being procured will improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area in which the services are being provided. This means that, whilst they will obviously still have to take price very much into account, they will have to assess the social value which different potential suppliers can add to their performance of …

Also posted in News | Tagged public spending | 10 Comments

Your LDV guide to rebel Liberal Democrat Peers

By Mark Valladares | Published 24th January 2012 - 1:53 pm

To mark the largest rebellion by Liberal Democrat Peers, we thought that it was time we recognised those Liberal Democrat Peers most prone to rebellion, so here are the top five rebels of this Parliament so far…

1st – Baroness Tonge (26 votes against the Government)

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Also posted in News | Tagged house of lords | 11 Comments

Opinion: the Legal Aid Bill is worth a Lib Dem revolt

By Eduardo Reyes | Published 24th January 2012 - 8:53 am

Day-to-day I can’t help thinking about the positions our MPs and Peers would have taken on issues were we not part of a coalition. I’m far from alone in that, but I also recognise the need to choose what we decide to block with care.

Right now, we need to block the main the legal aid provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (currently at committee stage in the Lords). In summary, unless amended, the Bill will take away legal aid from clinical negligence, personal injury, welfare/benefits claims, and claims under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. …

Also posted in News, Op-eds | Tagged house of lords, legal aid | 7 Comments

Yesterday in the Lords (part 1): let the banner of rebellion be unfurled…

By Mark Valladares | Published 24th January 2012 - 7:45 am

In a dramatic fifth day of the Report Stage of the Welfare Reform Bill, Liberal Democrat cohesion amongst the Parliamentary Party in the Lords collapsed, with two of the three biggest rebellions in this Parliament ensuing. And, to be honest, it wasn’t difficult to see it coming. However, unexpectedly, only one of them led to a Government defeat.

Amendment 58D, moved by Labour peer, Lord Mackenzie of Luton, was a relatively opportunistic attempt to provide an exemption from the proposed benefit cap for “vulnerable individuals, and individuals and couples …

Also posted in News | Tagged house of lords, welfare reform bill | 5 Comments

Lib Dem peers help inflict Lords defeat over Coalition’s benefit cap plan

By Stephen Tall | Published 23rd January 2012 - 8:43 pm

The BBC reports the result of tonight’s defeat for the Coalition in the House of Lords over the controversial government plans to introduce a £500 a week benefit cap:

The government has been defeated in the Lords in a vote on its plans for a £26,000-a-year household benefit cap. Lib Dem, Labour and crossbench peers backed a bishop’s amendment by 252 to 237 that child benefit should not be included in the cap. Critics argued that imposing the same cap on all families, regardless of size, would penalise children. The government said it was “very disappointed” and the vote “clearly

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Also posted in News | Tagged benefits | 61 Comments

PMQs: Miliband hoist by his Balls’ petard

By Paul Walter | Published 19th January 2012 - 8:24 am

Let’s start with what Ed Balls, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor said in the Guardian on January 14th:

My starting point is, I am afraid, we are going to have keep all these cuts. There is a big squeeze happening on budgets across the piece. The squeeze on defence spending, for instance, is £15bn by 2015. We are going to have to start from that being the baseline. At this stage, we can make no commitments to reverse any of that, on spending or on tax. So I am being absolutely clear about that.

So, it was something of a surprise when Ed …

Also posted in PMQs | Tagged andrew george, david cameron, david hamilton, economy, ed balls, ed miliband, tessa munt, unemployment | 15 Comments

LibLink: Lord Trevor Smith – looking to the future of the Liberal Democrats

By Mark Valladares | Published 12th January 2012 - 4:57 pm

Over on the Social Liberal Forum’s website, Lord Smith of Clifton has given a backbench peer’s perspective on political events and where the Party should be going, opening with a warning;

The Lib Dems are in a very serious state, possibly facing meltdown of the kind experienced by the Canadian Conservatives some time ago (though they managed a spectacular comeback), or the Canadian Liberals in last year’s elections. The burning question is how, at the very minimum, to limit the electoral damage and hopefully to revive the party’s fortunes.

For more of his thoughts, the full article can be found here.

Also posted in LibLink | Tagged lord smith of clifton | 17 Comments

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