By Matthew Barrett
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The Daily Mail this morning reports on the 118 Conservative MPs who have written to constituents indicating their opposition to gay marriage proposals. The Mail says "Their opposition has been expressed in letters and emails sent to constituents who have contacted them with their own concerns", and points out that if these MPs voted against proposals, it would constitute the biggest Tory rebellion in modern times. However, Equalities Minister (and Secretary of State for Culture) Maria Miller pointed out on Twitter that since any vote on the issue would be a free vote, it would not technically be counted as a rebellion.
I have listed the MPs from the Mail's story below.
Saturday, November 24, 2012 in Adam Holloway MP, Alec Shelbrooke MP, Alun Cairns MP, Andrea Leadsom MP, Andrew Bingham MP, Andrew Bridgen MP, Andrew Robathan MP, Andrew Rosindell MP, Andrew Selous MP, Andrew Turner MP, Andrew Tyrie MP, Anne Main MP, Anne Marie Morris MP, Anne McIntosh, Ben Wallace MP, Bill Cash MP, Bill Wiggin, Bob Blackman MP, Bob Stewart MP, Brian Binley MP, Caroline Dinenage MP, Charlie Elphicke MP, Cheryl Gillan MP, Christopher Chope MP, Christopher Pincher MP, Conor Burns MP, Craig Whittaker MP, David Burrowes MP, David Davies MP, David Davis MP, David Evennett MP, David Jones MP, David Nuttall MP, David Ruffley MP, David Rutley MP, David T C Davies MP, David Tredinnick MP, Douglas Carswell MP, Edward Leigh MP, Eleanor Laing MP, Esther McVey MP, Fiona Bruce MP, Gareth Johnson MP, Gary Streeter MP, Gavin Williamson MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Geoffrey Cox MP, George Freeman MP, George Hollingbery MP, Gerald Howarth MP, Glyn Davies MP, Gordon Henderson MP, Graham Brady MP, Guto Bebb MP, Henry Bellingham MP, Henry Smith MP, Ian Liddell-Grainger MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, Jake Berry MP, James Wharton MP, Jeremy Lefroy MP, Jeremy Wright MP, John Glen MP, John Hayes MP, John Redwood MP, John Stevenson MP, John Whittingdale MP, Jonathan Evans MP, Jonathan Lord MP, Julian Brazier MP, Julian Lewis MP, Karl McCartney MP, Laurence Robertson MP, Marcus Jones MP, Maria Miller MP, Mark Pawsey MP, Mark Pritchard MP, Martin Vickers MP, Matthew Offord MP, Mel Stride MP, Mike Penning MP, Neil Parish MP, Nick de Bois MP, Nicky Morgan MP, Nicola Blackwood MP, Nigel Adams MP, Owen Paterson MP, Paul Maynard MP, Paul Uppal MP, Pauline Latham MP, Peter Aldous MP, Peter Bone MP, Peter Lilley MP, Philip Davies MP, Philip Hammond MP, Philip Hollobone MP, Phillip Lee MP, Priti Patel MP, Rehman Chishti MP, Richard Drax MP, Richard Fuller MP, Richard Shepherd MP, Robert Buckland MP, Robert Goodwill MP, Robert Halfon MP, Robert Syms MP, Robert Walter MP, Roger Gale MP, Simon Burns MP, Simon Reevell MP, Sir Paul Beresford MP, Stephen Crabb, Stephen McPartland MP, Stephen Metcalfe MP, Steve Brine MP, Stewart Jackson MP, Thérèse Coffey MP, Tim Loughton MP, Tony Baldry MP | Permalink | Comments
By Tim Montgomerie
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One of Grant Shapps' first acts as the new Tory Chairman has been to ask for the election countdown clock to be put back on the wall of Conservative HQ. Meeting him yesterday afternoon he told me that there were less than 1,000 days until the next general election (969 actually if its 7th May 2015) and the party machine needed to start getting into battle mode.
Yesterday he announced the team that he hopes will help the party deliver victory for David Cameron. He, Lord Feldman and Mr Cameron made five new appointments:
Nicola Blackwood (Social Action), Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (International), Alan Lewis (Business) and Andrew Stephenson (Youth) were reappointed as Vice Chairmen. They are all pictured above.
Grant Shapps told ConservativeHome that one of the jobs facing him, Lord Feldman and the new team was to overcome the cynicism that people feel about the tasks currently facing Britain. He suggested that we were in the phase two or three years before the Olympics when people were suspicious about the cost of the Games and wondered whether all of the effort would be worthwhile. It was the whole Conservative Party's task, he said, to use the rest of the parliament to convince people that the road may be hard but the destination of better schools, a benefits system that rewards work and a paying down on the deficit will all be worth it.
The new Tory Chairman will be writing a regular monthly column for ConservativeHome.
PS Can any reader remember the last time that we had a party chairman who has won a seat from Labour?
Tuesday, September 11, 2012 in Alok Sharma, Andrew Stephenson MP, Bob Neill MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Grant Shapps MP, Michael Fabricant MP, Nicola Blackwood MP, Richard Harrington MP, Sarah Newton MP | Permalink | Comments
By Paul Goodman
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Last year, the Prime Minister flew to Brussels amidst rumour of a leadership challenge if he didn't achieve at least a token repatriation of power.
Today, he faced the Commons not only with no such repatriation realised but with his veto - so rapturously greeted at the time by Conservative MPs - arguably valueless, since it's now clear that he won't challenge the principle of the EU institutions being used to enforce the F.U agreement.
Yet there was no mass revolt from his backbenches, and no revival to date of the leadership challenge rumours. What explains this change in the Tory atmosphere? I hope to explore the question in detail soon, but will for the moment rest with an answer I've cited before.
Continue reading "Cameron today: Off the hook on the veto. On it over more IMF money." »
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 in Alun Cairns MP, Andrea Leadsom MP, Andrew Bridgen MP, Andrew Selous MP, Andrew Tyrie MP, Anne Main MP, Ben Gummer MP, Ben Wallace MP, Bernard Jenkin MP, Bill Cash MP, Bob Blackman MP, Christopher Chope MP, Christopher Pincher MP, Dan Byles MP, David Davies MP, David Nuttall MP, David Rutley MP, Edward Leigh MP, Gavin Barwell MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, George Eustice MP, James Morris MP, Jo Johnson MP, John Baron MP, Julian Lewis MP, Margot James MP, Mark Reckless MP, Nadhim Zahawi MP, Neil Carmichael MP, Nicholas Soames MP, Penny Mordaunt MP, Rehman Chishti MP, Richard Ottaway MP, Richard Shepherd MP, Robert Buckland MP, Robert Halfon MP, Sarah Newton MP, Stephen Mosley MP, Tony Baldry MP | Permalink | Comments
At questions to the MP representing the House of Commons Commission (Nick Harvey) yesterday, a succession of Conservative MPs raised issues about the cost of the recently refurbished Bellamy's Bar being turned into a nursery for the children of MPs and House of Commons staff...
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): This important issue has not suddenly arisen before the House. I believe that the process so far has been unacceptable and undemocratic. Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that £400,000 has recently been spent on refurbishing Bellamy's bar, and that this proposal will cost an additional £400,000? Will he confirm whether that has been included in the House budget estimates for this financial year?
Nick Harvey: The recent refurbishment in Bellamy's involves a significant amount of work and furnishing that can be reused-certainly about a third of the cost can be used directly. The hon. Gentleman says that this has come about swiftly, but I would point out that there have been constant surveys of the need for child care provision here, and the decision has been taken to move swiftly with this project so that the option is available to new Members as early as possible in the new Parliament to take up this facility if they need it.
Peter Luff (Worcestershire Mid): I entirely share the perception of the need for such a day nursery, but I hope that the hon. Gentleman will agree that the House of Commons should establish any such facility on an exemplary basis. Given that, as on this particular occasion, a nursery cannot comply with statutory guidance to providers, I hope he will search urgently for an alternative site - one that would comply with that guidance.
Continue reading "Tory MPs raise questions about the cost of the proposed parliamentary nursery" »
Friday, March 12, 2010 in Christopher Chope MP, Edward Leigh MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Peter Luff MP, Simon Burns MP | Permalink | Comments (6)
And the winner of the Conservative awayday quiz was...
20 Sep 2013 10:42:23 | Comments (0)Today's Tory MPs awayday will be told that the 40/40 strategy is now a 50/40 strategy
19 Sep 2013 06:10:30 | Comments (0)New edition Loyalty Boris hits the shelves
18 Sep 2013 14:28:51 | Comments (0)Lorraine Fullbrook announces she is standing down as MP for Ribble South at the next election
14 Sep 2013 12:56:56 | Comments (0)Grant Shapps writes to the UN Secretary-General in protest at biased Housing investigator
12 Sep 2013 00:05:07 | Comments (0)Candidate applications open for five more seats
6 Sep 2013 15:57:35 | Comments (0)Sajid Javid says he’d “embrace the opportunities” that leaving the European Union would bring
6 Sep 2013 13:15:39 | Comments (0)We need more social entrepreneurs as Tory MPs: Toby Young must do his duty
5 Sep 2013 16:23:54 | Comments (0)Reshuffle speculation, what reshuffle speculation?
1 Sep 2013 12:24:10 | Comments (0)Who's to blame? Cameron, the Whips, or both?
30 Aug 2013 09:04:08 | Comments (0)©2013 Conservative Home, All rights reserved