Gazette

Memorial to Ian Gow unveiled in the House of Commons

By Jonathan Isaby

Last night I was privileged to sit in the chamber of the House of Commons at an illustrious gathering to mark the installation of a plaque above the door to the chamber commemorating Ian Gow, the Conservative MP for Eastbourne who was murdered by an IRA car bomb in 1990.

The memorial is alongside that dedicated to Airey Neave, and was unveiled by Ian Gow's widow, Dame Jane Gow DBE, after a moving ceremony attended by numerous politicians past and present including Lord Tebbit, Lord Parkinson, Lord Howard of Lympne, Lord Trimble, Owen Paterson MP, Iain Duncan Smith MP, his three successors as MP for Eastbourne (David Bellotti, Nigel Waterson and Stephen Lloyd) and scores of other friends, family, former colleagues and admirers, too numerous to mention here.

The Speaker, John Bercow MP, arranged for the ceremony and installation of the memorial after a request from Romford MP, Andrew Rosindell, and Lord Howe of Aberavon last October, all of whom spoke last night.

Lord Howe described him as "one of the most warm hearted and courageous politicians of his generation" whilst Andrew Rosindell saluted "a man of principle and courage... who was never afraid to say and do what he believed was right for his country".

As she unveiled the memorial, Dame Jane thanked all those behind it for recognising her late husband "in this place which he loved so much".

Tory MPs Stephen Crabb and Edward Timpson prepare to run the London Marathon (and would appreciate your sponsorship!)

By Jonathan Isaby

Among the runners competing in the London Marathon this year are two Conservative MPs, Stephen Crabb and Edward Timpson.

They will join more than 35,000 other runners on the 26-mile course through the capital on April 17th.

Stephen, a Government whip and MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire, is entering for the third time and will be raising money for the Hope MS Therapy Centre in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, which serves people living with Multiple Sclerosis and other debilitating illnesses.

He tells me:

"The Virgin London Marathon is one of the largest fundraising events in the world and is a great opportunity to help raise money for small local charities. Every year several MPs manage to stagger round the 26 mile course and the atmosphere on the day is incredible. I will be pleased if I finish in under 4 hours, although this is still a long way off Matthew Parris’s record time for an MP of 2 hours 32 minutes in 1985. That was a phenomenally quick time for an MP to run it. My training is going well and is a welcome diversion from the long hours currently spent whipping the Health Bill."

To sponsor Stephen's run in aid of the Hope MS Therapy Centre, go to his fundraising website.

Edward Timpson, PPS to Theresa May and MP for Crewe and Nantwich, will be running his ninth marathon, raising money this year for Parkinson's UK.

He says:

"My first marathon was in 1998 and my best time is 3 hours 47 minutes. Ever since campaign literature during the Crewe & Nantwich by-election in 2008 committed me to running the London Marathon in 2009 I have managed to run every year in aid of both local and national charities including Homestart Cheshire, Supported Community Business based in Crewe and this year Parkinson's UK. An MP's lifestyle is not necessarily conducive to healthy eating and regular exercise, but by challenging myself to stagger 26 miles in one go once a year I hope I go some way to staving off the ravages of Westminster. However, this year I will not be putting my personal best time at risk."

To sponsor Edward's run in aid of Parkinson's UK, go to his fundraising website.

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt - a veteran of nine marathons - had hoped to make this his tenth, but duties as the minister responsible for the Middle East have understandably eaten into training time and stopped him being able to do it.

P.S. In the interests of promoting positive Coalition relations, I should also mention that the Lib Dem MP for East Dunbartonshire, Jo Swinson, is running the London Marathon this year in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Click here to go to her fundraising website.

Andrew Rosindell celebrates his successful 9-year campaign to have the Union flag fly permanently from Parliament

By Jonathan Isaby

A year ago, Andrew Rosindell's campaign to have the Union flag fly permanently from Parliament - which began after his election to the Commons in 2001 - neared its conclusion and for a while now the flag has indeed proudly been flying from the Victoria Tower of the Houses of Parliament.

And today, a reception was held by the parliamentary Flags and Heraldry Committee - which Rosindell chairs - to celebrate the overturning of the 150-year old convention that stated that the flag should only fly when Pariament is sitting. This used to leave an empty flagpole for much of the year - particularly at the height of summer when so many tourists take their pictures of the building.

Speaking at the gathering in the House of Lords River Room, Andrew commended the Union flag as a sign of the country's history and heritage, not to mentional national unity, and said that it should be flown with pride and confidence.

He also explained how many hoops he had had to jump through in order to change the rules: he explained how he had been told by a senior colleague that the convention was there because the monarch needed to be able to establish whether Parliament was sitting by glancing across at the flagpole from Buckingham Palace. As a result, when the Queen visited his Romford constituency he steeled himself to ask her the veracity of this, to which she apparently replied: "When I want to know if Parliament is sitting I switch on BBC Parliament".

With Her Majesty seemingly happy for him to continue with his campaign, numerous other individuals and committees around Parliament had to be persuaded to back the move, which, eventually, they all did. As a result of Andrew's tenacity and determination, the nation's flag is now flying from Parliament 365 days a year. And long may it continue to do so.

The Young Britons’ Foundation holds its 2011 Parliamentary Rally

Iain Duncan Smith addresses the rally as Douglas Carswell and Andrew Rosindell look on

Emma Carr, Director of Operations for the Young Britons' Foundation, reports:

Wednesday afternoon saw more than one hundred students and young professionals descend on Parliament for the Young Britons’ Foundation 2011 Parliamentary Rally.

Over the course of the afternoon attendees heard from no fewer than thirty speakers including three Cabinet ministers, nine MPs - including a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, a member of the House of Lords, as well as broadcasters, bloggers and think-tank directors.

The speakers included Iain Duncan Smith MP, Eric Pickles MP, Theresa Villiers MP, Andrew Rosindell MP, Lord Flight, Iain Dale, Jonathan Isaby, Dr Tim Evans (Cobden Centre), Dr Eamonn Butler (Adam Smith Institute) and Dr Alan Mendoza (The Henry Jackson Society).

This fantastic line-up spoke on a wide variety of topics including the AV Referendum, changes in the smoking laws and (more practically) how to distinguish yourself in an increasingly competitive job market.

To find out more about the Young Britons' Foundation, check out the YBF website.

Schedule of upcoming No2AV speaker meetings around the country

By Jonathan Isaby

With less than 60 days to go before the referendum on whether to adopt the Alternative Vote for Westminster elections, the NO2AV campaign is hosting a series of events around the UK throughout March to help educate voters about the issues, featuring both Conservative and Labour supporters of NO2AV.

To attend the event in the venue nearest to you, please call 0844 573 6444 or click here for further details.

March 9th
19:00
Brent
Sam Gyimah MP and Emily Thornberry MP

March 10th
19:00
Reading
Sam Gyimah MP and Mark McDonald

March 11th
19:00
Chelmsford
Priti Patel MP and Kwasi Kwarteng MP

March 12th
11:00
Manchester
Chris Skidmore MP and Graham Stringer MP

March 17th
18:30
Plymouth
George Eustice MP and Chris Skidmore MP

March 18th
18:30
Bournemouth
Sam Gyimah MP and Conor Burns MP

March 24th
18:00
Newcastle
Speakers TBC

March 25th
18:30
Ipswich
Speakers Tristram Hunt MP and Conservative speaker TBC

March 26th
11:00
Edinburgh
Lord Falconer and Thomas Docherty MP

March 29th
19:00
Croydon
Baroness Warsi/Gavin Barwell MP and Margaret Beckett MP

March 31st
18:30
Cardiff
Guto Bebb MP and Paul Murphy MP

The agenda for this weekend's Spring Forum has been published

By Jonathan Isaby

Agendas have not been sent out by post in advance of this weekend's Spring Forum at Welsh Conference, but details have now been published on the Conservative Party website.

Here are all the timings you need to know if you are going to be in Cardiff (the National Conservative Convention will also be meeting in Cardiff but that is only open to members of the NCC):

Saturday March 5th

10am-12.30pm

Delivering for Wales

• Welcome from Catrin Edwards and Fiona Hodgson
• Session hosted by the Leader of the Opposition in the Welsh Assembly, Nick Bourne AM and Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillan MP, and featuring representatives from the Welsh Assembly, Westminster and the European Parliament
• Lyndon Jones, President of the Welsh Conservative Party
• Speech from Conservative Party Co-Chairman, Baroness Warsi

2pm-4.45pm

Economic Growth

• Speech from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP
• Speech from Darren Millar AM
• Panel Session on Regional Growth featuring representatives from Westminster and the Welsh Assembly
• Speech from Jonathan Morgan AM
• Speech from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles MP

Conservative Policy Forum

• Presentation from the Chairman of the Conservative Policy Forum, Oliver Letwin MP
• Discussion on developing economic policies for the future, featuring contributions from party members
• Closing remarks from the Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillan MP, and the Conservative Policy Forum Co-ordinator for Wales

David Cameron meets David Hasselhoff

By Jonathan Isaby

You never know who you're going to bump into around the Houses of Parliament and as the photo above shows, this morning saw one of Westminster's more extraordinary encounters: the Prime Minister meeting TV star and some-time singer, David Hasselhof.

The Hoff was in Westminster as a guest of his old friend David Morris, the Tory MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, who himself used to work in the music industry.

Explains Morris:

"He came for a tour of Parliament and I also asked him to support my campaign for the re-opening of the Winter Gardens in Morecambe. It was originally built in 1897 but has been closed to the general public since 1977. The Winter Gardens is an amazing place that still retains its original character and I'm delighted that the Hoff is supporting its re-opening.

"Since I was going to a meeting in Downing Street this afternoon, I asked him if he'd sign a picture of himself for the Prime Minister - so we were stunned that by chance the Prime Ministerial car turned up just as he was about to leave, meaing that he was able to give it to him personally. Seeing the two of them together was surreal!"

Big Brother Watch attracts a bumper crowd for its book launch

By Jonathan Isaby

There was a bumper turnout in Westminster last night for the launch of Big Brother Watch: The state of civil liberties in modern Britain - published by Biteback and available at the discount price of £6.54 via Amazon.

The book, edited by Alex Deane, contains 27 chapters by numerous authors - including Damian Green MP (pictured below with Alex), David Davis MP, Dominic Raab MP, Simon Richards, Martin Howe QC and Mark Littlewood - all of whom consider different ways in which the state now encroaches upon our lives and freedoms.

The event also marked Alex's departure as Director of Big Brother Watch for pastures anew at Bell Pottinger, and after a few of his own thank-yous, Matthew Elliott, under whose auspices at the TaxPayers' Alliance BBW was founded, invited all assembled to toast Alex and the successful publication of the book. Champagne aplenty was enjoyed by all, as were culinary delicacies prepared by the fair hand of Daniel Hamilton, Campaign Director at BBW.

William Hague meets John Howard during Australian visit

Tim Montgomerie

WILLIAM HAGUE WITH FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER, JOHN HOWARD, YESTERDAY.

William Hague is downunder, undertaking the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary to one of our nation's greatest friends and allies since 1994. Not one of Labour's Foreign Secretaries bothered. Extraordinary.

There is a report on the visit from the BBC's Nick Bryant here. It has the appropriate title Ending the diplomatic neglect.

DEFENCE SECRETARY LIAM FOX IS TRAVELLING WITH MR HAGUE. THEY ARE PICTURED ABOVE MEETING THEIR COUNTERPARTS, STEPHEN SMITH AND KEVIN RUDD.

Lord Forsyth thanks friends, colleagues and political opponents for helping him smash his fundraising target for his Antarctic expedition

By Jonathan Isaby

Earlier in the week I noted Lord Forsyth's successful arrival at the summit of Mount Vinson on Antarctica.

He is now on his way back to Britain and has learnt that he has smashed his second revised fundraising target of £350,000, with donations to Marie Curie Cancer Care and Children in Need India now totalling a brilliant £366,514.

He writes:

"There is a lot of criticism of Parliament and the City at the moment - some of which is fully justified - but there is another side to the story here.  Jan Royal, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lords has sent me the most generous messages of support and concern, as has the Lord Speaker. Parliamentarians of all parties and none have rallied to support these charities - including every living former Prime Minister.  The current Prime Minister, David Cameron, had three attempts at putting a kind message of encouragement on my website prior to summit day.  Unknown to me it was being rejected automatically by the server.  It turns out that it was the inclusion of the word 'God' in 'Godspeed' that triggered the anti-spamming software.

"The Chancellor has sent me a note enclosing a donation, with comment that he was not sure he should be supporting me in my insane enterprise.  I have replied indicating that I was supporting him with his, and that reward does not come without risk.  Competitors and colleagues in the City have been hugely generous, as have senior figures in the regulatory institutions.  The United Kingdom is a great country, and when it comes to charity the things that divide us all melt away.  Thank you."

Click here to read more of his blog entries from the trip and follow this link should you wish to make a donation towards his fundraising efforts.