I recently sent Geoff Hoon an email concerning his statement to the House of Commons on the third Heathrow runway. Whilst I was asking him a rather obscure and pedantic point relating to the language he used, the reply I got is rather revealing.

To that end [deciding about the third runway], the Secretary of State reached his decision on the basis of a transparent and objective analysis of the evidence available as a result of the consultation that has taken place. He alone had the necessary knowledge of all the facts and issues that required consideration.

It would not have been appropriate for Parliament to participate in making the decision. Parliament would not have had access to all of the facts, assumptions and analyses that underpinned his decision.” [emphasis added]

So, Mr Hoon, just what information did you withhold from the UK’s sovereign decision-making body, which is meant to scrutinise your decisions and hold you accountable on behalf of the public?