This open letter dropped into our inbox earlier this week with a request to forward to Lib Dem members. Consider it done!

Dear friend,

David Heath MP (LD – Somerton and Frome) has just come 2nd in the Private Members’ Ballot in Parliament.

We are writing to you as fellow LDs to ask you to lobby him to adopt the Leaked Information (Accountability of Government) Bill – it is vitally important as it concerns the rights of members of parliament to hold the executive to account

BACKGROUND

You don’t have to be a Tory to find Damian Green’s arrest a couple of weeks ago deeply worrying. As Nick Clegg says, “The way we are governed is already more secretive, less democratic and more centralised than anywhere else in the developed world. Intimidating opposition MPs with police action will snuff out the few remaining powers of scrutiny they have.”

Nick went on to call for Gordon Brown to introduce a bill in the Queen’s Speech which would guarantee opposition MPs certain rights to enable to hold the government to account. That opportunity has sadly been missed. Fortunately however, we now have another opportunity to introduce such a Bill.

THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF GOVERNMENT BILL

Unlock Democracy has drawn up a draft bill which would guarantee some of the rights that Nick Clegg has called for, the so-called Leaked Information (Accountability of Government) Bill, and we would love it if David would adopt this bill. A copy can be found on the Unlock Democracy Website.

That’s why I’m asking you to take some time this weekend and write to him asking him to sponsor the Leaked Information Bill. It doesn’t need to be long and the more people who do write to him, the bigger the impact.

Write to David Heath MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, email him at [email protected] and phone him on 020 7219 6245 (ideally all three!).

Everyone who does this over the next couple of days will make a real difference.

Many thanks!

Peter Facey, Director