One of the ideas floated by Simon Hughes to help sustain policy generation and keep a distinctive identity for the party during coalition was the creation of a team of shadow spokespeople. Shadowing a government you are a part of raises some obvious issues, and as a result the party has decided instead to create a series of new backbench committees, bringing together both MPs and peers. Their focus will be much more on policy generation, consultation and internal communication than on shadowing Conservative ministers. Parliamentarians are currently expressing interests in which committees they would wish to serve on, with the membership of them likely to be announced in around a fortnight.
Subscribe
-
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
-
Like us on Facebook
-
Subscribe to our feed
-
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Most Read
Search
Op-eds
-
Why Britain should be wary of Andy Burnham’s Devolution Revolution (Iain Donaldson)
-
“Build, baby, build” but don’t lower our ambitions on affordability (Victor Chamberlain)
-
Twenty-six years of evidence on drugs. Twenty-six years of cowardice. (Tanya Park)
-
Tom Arms’ World Review (Tom Arms)
-
Observations of an Expat: Gaza (Tom Arms)
Recent Comments
Paul Holmes
When I was an MP I remember being shown a block of Council flats in London. We stood on a first floor walkway and my guide pointed to one door that after RtBuy ...
Paul Holmes
AlexB - Housing Associations already have the power to borrow money against their assets, which are of course not subject to the wholesale Right to Buy (at huge...
David McHardy
There is no way out of the housing crisis without mass private building. Private building has stalled because it is unprofitable, as this article explains. This...
George Thomas
"Of course, devolution cannot simply mean moving responsibilities without resources. Local leaders need meaningful fiscal powers, long-term funding settlements ...
George Thomas
Greater devolution without greater funding is a poisoned chalice and that is what's being offered in Wales. That and sly digs at the Senedd. Then it leads t...



3 Comments
Didn’t this happen a week ago?
A good idea. But – it still leaves us without anyone to speak on issues relating to government departments where we don’t have minister – Culture, Media & Sport, International Development (although we have Malcolm Bruce as chair of the Select Committee for this), DEFRA (we can add Wales and Northern Ireland for completeness).
Donald
Is this related the backbench business committee?