By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Conservative HQ has just released the news that Jackie Whiteley will be the candidate for the Bradford West by-election – which will be held on the 29th March. This time last year, after Labour MP Denis MacShane was suspended from the party, Whiteley was confirmed as the "Conservative Parliamentary […]
Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, is this week's author of ConHome's new parliamentary diary. Follow Jesse on Twitter. Sunday What a day! Spring is in the air, the birds are nesting busily and the Black Mountains look absolutely gorgeous. Yet again it hits home how lucky I am to represent Hereford and […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter This morning, the Bradford Telegraph and Argus carries the news that Marsha Singh, the Labour MP for Bradford West since 1997, will be resigning from Parliament due to ill health. The Telegraph and Argus describes Mr Singh's undisclosed illness as "critical" and reports that he has been absent from […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Conservative MP Brian Binley has reacted furiously to reports that David Cameron is NOT going to block Les Ebdon's appointment as Director of Fair Access. Mr Binley is a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee that recommended AGAINST Mr Ebdon's appointment. There are two key quotes from […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter In the Commons yesterday, Foreign Secretary William Hague gave a statement on Syria, strongly condemning the decision made over the weekend by Russia and China to veto a rather moderate (perhaps inadequate) UN resolution calling for the Syrian government to allow peaceful protests, and begin a new political process. […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Earlier today, on Comment, Daniel Hannan MEP wrote: "Today, the People’s Pledge announces the most ambitious campaign ever to secure an In/Out referendum. It aims to show MPs in all parties that there is a premium in doing the right thing: that supporting a referendum carries an electoral reward. […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter. I called it on Saturday and Eurosceptic parliamentarians are now in agreement. Cameron's veto has all but died. Andrew Lilico calls it a capitulation. Dan Hannan MEP is most categorical: "December's 'veto' turns out to be nothing of the kind; at best, it is a partial opt-out. Britain had […]
By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter In a backbench debate on the European Council yesterday, veteran Eurosceptic MP Bill Cash warned that a proposed fiscal union would be both undemocratic as a whole, and damage the national interests of the UK. The Liberal Democrats, he said were currently an "obstruction to our vital national interests", and […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter. The BBC has often scrutinised the Conservative Party and its once male-dominated candidates list but how women-friendly is Auntie herself? Nadine Dorries used an adjournment debate on Monday night to expose the BBC's do-as-we-say-not-as-we-do attitude. Pasted below are some highlights from her speech. BBC Radio 2 doesn't have one […]
By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter In the spirit of accountability, speaking at Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs questions yesterday, Labour MP Tom Harris indulged other members with details of his own breakfast. Harris was welcoming the fact that 90% of food purchased by the House of Commons was British – 90% of which he had presumably enjoyed. After […]
By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter Yesterday in the House of Commons, Parilamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education Tim Loughton spoke of the need for children exposed to domestic violence to receive "well targeted support from a range of agencies". Loughton said that "prolonged or regular exposure to domestic violence" was "likely to have a serious impact […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter I am losing my way in the great grimpen mire of Conservative backbench groups. It's not all that long ago since Cornerstone added itself to the traditional list of dining clubs, such as the One Nation and No Turning Back. Earlier in the Parliament came the forty. It was […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Yesterday in the Commons, the Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire, Jesse Norman, led a debate to introduce a bill which would: "provide that pay for hours worked on behalf of trade unions by trade union officials during hours when they are paid by an employer should be refunded to […]
By Joseph Willits Follow Joseph on Twitter Under proposals by the Welsh Boundary Commission, three Conservative seats will be abolished, one will be lost, and two would be gained from Labour. Those being abolished are: Aberconwy (Guto Bebb) Montgomeryshire (Glyn Davies) Preseli Pembrokeshire (Stephen Crabb). The seat largely returns to its pre-1997 boundaries. The new seat of […]