After fighting against endless coalition, for intervention in Libya, the irrepressible Mark Pritchard turns his attention to circus animals

By Tim Montgomerie
Follow Tim on Twitter.

Later this week, on Thursday, Mark Pritchard MP will lead a debate on whether to ban the use of wild animals in circuses (FT (£) report). The Tory MP for the Wrekin won the debate as part of the new dispensation for regular backbench time in the Commons.

The Government had been minded to introduce a ban but stopped short when - you guessed it - European courts threatened to strike down a similar ban in Austria.

In the same way that a vote in the Commons was used by David Davis and Jack Straw to demonstrate MPs' strength of feeling on votes-for-prisoners, a Commons vote on circus' use of wild animals will, it is hoped, send a signal to the courts.

Continue reading "After fighting against endless coalition, for intervention in Libya, the irrepressible Mark Pritchard turns his attention to circus animals" »

The second T-shirt of the week featuring John Bercow

by Paul Goodman

Not convinced that demand will be as high as for it as for the original.

Pretty certain that it'll be lower among our readers.

Unlikely to be worn by Mark Pritchard MP (or by the Conservative Chief Whip).

Still, here it is on the right, courtesy of the ever-enterprising Jonathan Sheppard of Tory Radio.

The dog that didn't bark on Thursday during Energy questions

by Paul Goodman

The Commons provides no shortage of opportunities for my favourite Chamber observation - that what isn't said is as important as what is.

Thursday's energy questions contained questions about energy prices, carbon reduction, smart metering, energy schemes, nuclear power stations, low-energy carbon products, and marine renewables.  Much as usual, you might say.

Except for this: almost no-one, in the space of the best part of an hour, mentioned global warming - especially in the context of it being driven by human activity.  One Labour MP, Gregg McClymont, referred to "fighting climate change".  And that was about it.

This is all the more striking since Chris Huhne's only recently returned from the Cancun summit, where he was a big cheese.  Mark Pritchard congratulated Huhne on "his success in Cancun"; Caroline Lucas, the sole Green MP, mentioned the Cancun agreements at the very end of topical questions.  But garlands for the loqacious Climate Change Secretary were otherwise in very short supply.

Indeed, five of the topical questions were about the present cold weather, and its consequences for older and poorer people.  So were a significant tranche of the earlier ones.

Politicians follow trends. Leaner economic times, the "climate gate" scandal and - not least - our recent autumn and winter weather seem to have moved public opinion on man-made global warming.  MPs have picked this up - and quietly, tacitly, without display or ostentation, they're silently moving in a different direction.

Mark Harper admits "exasperation" over prisoner voting rights as he faces the wrath of angry Tory MPs

By Jonathan Isaby

This afternoon in the Commons, Cabinet Office minister Mark Harper was summoned to the Dispatch Box to answer an Urgent Question on the decision to grant the right to vote to prisoners. Quite why Nick Clegg could not have done so, given that his is the only of the main parties to have actually promoted this policy, I don't know.

Mr Harper explained:

"The UK’s blanket ban on sentenced prisoners voting was declared unlawful by the grand chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in October 2005, as a result of a successful challenge by a prisoner, John Hirst. The Government accept, as did the previous Government, that as a result of the judgment of the Strasbourg Court in the Hirst case, there is a need to change the law. This is not a choice; it is a legal obligation. Ministers are currently considering how to implement the judgment, and when the Government have made a decision the House will be the first to know."

Labour shadow justice minister Sadiq Khan then responded with a flurry of questions:

"When the previous Government consulted on this matter, the right hon. and learned Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve), who was then the shadow Secretary of State for Justice and is now the Attorney-General, described the prospect of giving prisoners the vote as “ludicrous”. Does the Minister share that view? One of the most troubling aspects of the European Court ruling is that it opens the door to the possibility of serious offenders being given the vote. Will he explain how the Government would ensure that serious offenders are not given the vote? Press reports suggest that sentence length will be the key determinant in deciding which prisoners can vote. If that is the case, what length of sentence do the Government have in mind? How will they ensure that prisoners who are guilty of serious offences but serving short sentences are not given the vote? Will the Minister provide details of the precise mechanics that prisoner voting will entail? Can he also tell us whether prisoners will be allowed to vote in referendums as well as elections?

"The Prime Minister is reportedly “exasperated” and “furious” at having to agree to votes for prisoners. Does the Minister share that view? There is a strong sense that the decision is being forced on this country against the will both of the Government and of the people’s representatives in this Parliament. For the sake of public trust in British democracy, will the Minister who is standing in for the Deputy Prime Minister therefore agree that any legislation put before the House on this vital issue should be the subject of a free vote?"

The minister responded:

"No one would have realised, listening to that, that the right hon. Gentleman was ever a member of the previous Government, who also accepted that the law needed to be changed, and accepted the judgment. I have looked carefully at the media reports, and all I can see is an expression by the Government, relating to what they are going to say in a pending legal case, that they must comply with the law. I would not have thought that explaining that the Government had to comply with the law was particularly revelatory. In fact, the right hon. Gentleman shared our view when he was in government. He was quite right to draw the House’s attention to the fact that the Prime Minister is exasperated. I suspect that every Member of the House is exasperated about this, but we have no choice about complying with the law.

"The fact that the previous Government failed for five years to do what they knew was necessary has left our country in a much worse position, both because of the possibility of having to pay damages and because case law has moved on. The only thing that would be worse than giving prisoners the vote would be giving them the vote and having to pay them damages as well. That is the position that the previous Government left us in.

"I shall now turn to the right hon. Gentleman’s questions. I made it clear in my statement that Ministers were considering how to implement the judgment, and when decisions have been taken they will be announced to the House at the Dispatch Box in the usual way. No decisions have been taken, and I am therefore unable to answer any of his questions at this time. The previous Government took five years to do nothing when they knew that something had to be done—in exactly the same way as they behaved in not dealing with the deficit. This Government have been in office for only a matter of months, but yet again our two parties are having to deal with the mess left behind by Labour."

There then followed questions from a wide variety of MPs, including many angry Tories from across the whole spectrum of the party. Here is a selection of their points:

Continue reading "Mark Harper admits "exasperation" over prisoner voting rights as he faces the wrath of angry Tory MPs" »

John Bercow allows Dennis Skinner's question on Lord Ashcroft, denies Mark Pritchard's question on Unite

Fascinating blog from Paul Waugh over at the London Evening Standard.

Paul tells how the Speaker rebuked Theresa Villiers for questioning Labour's links to Unite, during an emergency state on the British Airways strike.

Worse, though, was his seemingly contradictory approach to questions from a Labour and a Tory MP.

He permitted a question from Labour's Dennis Skinner about Lord Ashcroft's donations to the Conservatives but ruled out of order a question from Tory Mark Pritchard about Unite union leaders trimming their own wages by way of example.

Paul Waugh has the full story, including growing signs that Tory MPs will not accept David Cameron's urging to stand behind The Speaker. Tory MPs were appalled last week, during PMQs, when Simon Burns was accused of being boring and boorish by Mr Bercow. "He hates Tories," one MP told ConservativeHome, "it's as simple as that."

Tim Montgomerie

George Osborne mocks the Government's growth projections

It was Treasury questions yesterday.

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne poured scorn on the Budget growth forecasts:

"As the Chancellor knows, the growth forecasts that he gave us in the Budget last week, which predicted a return to boom levels of growth in just two years, and that the economy would stay at those boom levels, were greeted with near-universal derision, yet they were the fiction on which he constructed every other Budget forecast. When he gave those forecasts, did he know that the IMF was planning to contradict them flatly just an hour later?

Mr. Darling: Yes, of course I knew the IMF forecasts. The IMF takes a more pessimistic view, not just of our economy but of every economy across the world. However, we ensure that our forecasts are based on the information that we have. If hon. Members look at the IMF and its forecasting over the past three months, they will see that it has downrated its forecasting three times since last October, which demonstrates the uncertainty in the system. However, I believe that because of the action that we are taking, because of the fact that we have low interest rates, because inflation will be coming down this year, and because of the action that most other countries are taking to look after and support their economies, that will have an effect, which is why I remain confident that we will see growth return towards the end of this year.

Mr. Osborne: Frankly, I do not think the Chancellor is in any position to lecture anyone else about downgrading their forecasts after last week. Is not the truth this—that the dishonest Budget has completely unravelled in the space of just a week? We have seen the IMF produce those growth forecasts, which were wholly different from the ones given an hour earlier to the House of Commons. We have the CBI saying that there is no credible or rigorous plan to deal with the deficit. We have the Institute for Fiscal Studies pointing to the black hole, and yesterday a former member of the Cabinet, beside whom the Chancellor sat at the Cabinet table, said that his tax plans were a breach of a manifesto promise that is damaging not just to the Labour party, but to the economy. Today we had the Prime Minister getting a lecture in prudence while he was in Warsaw. We are used to Polish builders telling us to fix the roof when the sun is shining, but not the Polish Prime Minister as well.

Does not the collapse of the Budget in the past week and the damage to the Chancellor’s credibility make an almost unanswerable case for an independent office for Budget responsibility, so that we get independent forecasts on Budget day and the assumptions of the Budget are believed by the public?

Continue reading "George Osborne mocks the Government's growth projections" »

Mark Pritchard: Let prisoners pay for their lodgings

MP for The Wrekin Mark Pritchard had an interesting suggestion at questions to the Solicitor-General yesterday:

"But is it not the case that for every crime committed, all of society suffers? In particular, there is the huge cost of feeding, housing and guarding criminals. Will the Solicitor-General consider extending or perhaps reviewing existing legislation to ensure that wealthier criminals actually pay for their time when they are in prison?

The Solicitor-General: That is a very interesting point and I shall spend a lot of time dwelling on it over Easter, although it is not actually the responsibility of my department."

Mr Pritchard later added:

"This is not a pay if you go scheme – but a ‘Pay If You Stay Scheme’. Perhaps if more criminals, who could pay, did pay, then the added deterrent might reduce re-offending rates and reduce the burden on hard-pressed taxpayers."

He also said that there needs to be a root and branch review of how society pays for criminal justice to "improve the link between the criminal and the overall costs of their crimes". Growing white collar crime, Mr Pritchard argued, means that contributions from prisoners could be re-channelled to pay for the education and rehabilitation of other inmates.

This is excellent creative thinking.

Tom Greeves

Government doesn't know how much National Insurance it takes from UK subjects

Here are some interesting answers from the latest edition of Hansard.

Shadow Innovation, Universities and Skills Secretary David Willetts asked a question that couldn't be answered:

"Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many EU citizens working in the UK paid sufficient national insurance contributions to earn a potential entitlement to the state pension in each year since 1997. [265049]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available as National Insurance contributions paid by migrants are not reported separately."

National Insurance is effectively income tax - especially as we have no guarantee that we will see the benefit of our contributions when we retire. It is staggering that the Government doesn't know how much it takes from British subjects specifically.

Continue reading "Government doesn't know how much National Insurance it takes from UK subjects" »

How much will Royal Mail pensions cost the taxpayer?

Thursday saw oral questions on Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Rochford & Southend East MP James Duddridge (right) asked about the cost to taxpayers of assuming liability for the Royal Mail pension scheme:

"The Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs (Mr. Pat McFadden): We estimate that the Government will assume total liabilities of £29.5 billion and assets of £23.5 billion. That would mean the Government absorbing a deficit of £6 billion. This assessment of the liabilities in the scheme and the funding position is based on the most recent trustee valuation, from March 2008. However, we anticipate that the funding position of the scheme could well have worsened since that date, so when we have updated figures from the new valuation, beginning this month, we will finalise our assessment of the funding position of the scheme.

James Duddridge: Clause 20 of the Postal Services Bill will allow the Government to take the existing assets from the pension fund into the consolidated fund and spend it that very same year. Is it wise as part of addressing the pension funding crisis to take the existing inadequate assets and use them to rescue the Government’s current deficit, making the problem worse in the longer term?

Mr. McFadden: Our motivation is not about the public sector accounting impact. Our motivation is to give greater security to the hard-working men and women who work for Royal Mail, because the pension fund is an increasing burden for Royal Mail. At the same time, however, if we are to ask the taxpayer to take on those liabilities—I have set out what the scale of those liabilities is—it is equally right that we also give the taxpayer some confidence that the company can be transformed and modernised in the future. It is precisely those two things that are set out in the Postal Services Bill, which was published recently."

There may well be merit in the Government subsidising postal deliveries to far-flung parts of the UK, but I don't see why mail services as a whole should not be opened up to competition.

Shadow Corporate Governance Minister Jonathan Djanogly had a concern:

"The Minister has just said that the Government proposals would provide greater security for postal workers’ pensions, but can he confirm that clause 19(6)(b) of the Postal Services Bill provides that this or a future Government could waive the pension guarantee and vary the terms of the postal workers’ pensions without the approval of the trustees, who will lose their power to protect the pensions under the provisions of the Bill?

Mr. McFadden: The changes that we propose to the pension scheme will mean that the deficit is handled on the same basis as the pension schemes serving teachers, nurses and civil servants. That will indeed give Royal Mail staff far greater pension security than they get at the moment, when the deficit appears to be increasing year on year."

Continue reading "How much will Royal Mail pensions cost the taxpayer?" »

Is the Government doing enough to help Wales through the recession?

It was Welsh questions yesterday.

Congleton's Ann Winterton asked about manufacturing:

"Ann Winterton (Congleton) (Con): What recent assessment he has made of the state of the manufacturing sector in Wales. [261324]

The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Paul Murphy): The manufacturing industry is, of course, very important to Wales. According to the latest available figures, the sector employs about 13.5 per cent. of the Welsh work force.

Ann Winterton: The manufacturing industry in the UK has taken a very hard hit in the recession, and that is perhaps even more true of Wales. Is the Secretary of State aware of the concerns of many in the manufacturing work force in Wales who work for foreign companies that there may be plans to offshore employment? Examples of such companies include Toyota in north Wales and Corus in south Wales; Corus has a plant in the Netherlands. What discussion has he had with other Ministers, and with the Welsh Assembly, to ensure that that does not happen?

Mr. Murphy: The hon. Lady makes a valid point. I have of course had discussions with my right hon. Friend the Business Secretary, and with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Wales. I have also discussed the issue of Corus with the chief executive of Corus. The point that the hon. Lady makes about foreign-owned companies in Wales is well taken, but I have no reason to believe that that will be a disadvantage to us in Wales in the months to come. In my constituency, for example, thousands of people work for car component manufacturers that are American-owned, and so far, so good. Obviously, they are feeling the pinch, like all manufacturing companies, and particularly those in the automotive industry, but I very much take her point on board."

Shadow Deputy Secretary of State for Wales David Jones had a follow-up question:

"The Secretary of State will know that Toyota announced today that it is putting its factory on Deeside on short-time working and its staff on reduced pay. He has already mentioned the importance of the automotive industry to the Welsh economy. Given that importance, does he know precisely when the automotive assistance programme, which was announced with so much fanfare in January, will be implemented? Is it another case not of real help now, but of jam tomorrow?

Mr. Murphy: No; the hon. Gentleman is aware that some of the schemes are to operate at different times. For example, in April at least six schemes are due to go live, including help for the automotive industry. There are other schemes that have already started. I cited to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik) the excellent ProAct scheme that works in Wales. The schemes are staggered in time scale, but they are about real help for people. The hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones) is right that the delivery of such schemes must be a main priority of Government, whether here in London or in Cardiff. Help is available, and it is up to the industry to apply for that help."

Continue reading "Is the Government doing enough to help Wales through the recession?" »

John Bercow on the importance of tackling bullying

Questions were put to ministers from the Department for Children, Schools and Families department yesterday.

The very last question of the session was from John Bercow, Buckingham MP, and addressed the loathsome phenomenon of bullying:

"Given that approximately 6,000 children a year exclude themselves from school after suffering extreme bullying, approximately 50 per cent. of whom have contemplated or attempted to commit suicide, will the Secretary of State agree to meet me and a delegation of interested parties to consider the case for funding the network of Red Balloon learner centres across the country? They are doing fantastic work in restoring the self-esteem of those damaged children, and getting them back into school, into further education, on to university or into employment. They need a bit of help.

Ed Balls: I had the opportunity two weeks ago to meet a group of young people from Norwich and Harrow who were being given chances to get back into school through the support of Red Balloon. Such decisions are made by local authorities, and I urge all local authorities to support Red Balloon and such new opportunities for children. I would love to meet the hon. Gentleman and a delegation again, so that I can hear further inspiring stories of young people getting back into education because of this important voluntary organisation."

Mark Pritchard, who represents The Wrekin, asked about means testing:

"Does the Minister accept that there needs to be more flexibility in the means-testing criteria? For example, the circumstances of a household on an income of £30,000 with a single child in full-time education are entirely different from those of another household on the same income but with five children in full-time education. Such issues have an impact on whether some children fulfil full-time education.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The problem is that the more flexibility that we put into the system, the more complex it becomes. I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point, but there will not always be the same number of young people in the 16-to-18 age group. It is that particular age group that we are trying to attract with the education maintenance allowance."

Continue reading "John Bercow on the importance of tackling bullying" »

Mark Pritchard secures debate on UK-US relations

Tomorrow in Westminster Hall there will be a debate on UK relations with America. It has been tabled by Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin.

The 90 minute debate will begin at 11am. Mr Pritchard's office says that it is the first time in nearly a decade that there has been a dedicated debate on the USA in the House of Commons.

Topics expected to be discussed include: bi-lateral relations, anti-Americanism, Iran, Europe and Turkey joining the EU. Other issues may be raised, such as extraordinary rendition, US intelligence activity in the UK and the sharing of intelligence between the two countries.

Mr Pritchard is to be commended for securing this debate. The United States of America matters a great deal to most of us, not least the team at ConservativeHome. Please check out America in the World.

Tom Greeves 

Cheryl Gillan wants more done about job losses in Wales

It was time for Welsh questions in the Commons yesterday.

Monmouth MP David Davies was concerned about onerous rules on the use of Welsh:

"Does the Minister agree that enacting legislation that will require all companies, or at least private companies, to use the Welsh language in all forms of business could prove very detrimental not just to the rural economy but to the rest of the economy in Wales, at a time when, tragically, we are seeing hundreds of jobs lost?

Mr. David: The hon. Gentleman should choose his words carefully. I am sure that the last thing any Member would want to do is be seen to be against the Welsh language. It has developed over the past few years, and we want to ensure that it continues to develop with the consent of all the people of Wales.

As the hon. Gentleman will know, the draft Welsh language legislative competence order is due to be published next week. I hope that, as a result, there will be full discussion among all the people of Wales about what is the best way forward."

Mr Davies might appreciate people knowing that he is himself a Welsh speaker.

Preseli Pembrokeshire MP (and Opposition MP) Stephen Crabb is eager to see a new power station in Wales:

"Does the Minister agree that one significant boost to the rural economy of west Wales at this time would come from the construction of the new gas-fired power station at Pembroke, in the constituency of the hon. Member for Carmarthen, West and South Pembrokeshire (Nick Ainger)? The project has taken four years to reach this point. It has passed its environmental consents, and merely awaits a decision from the Minister’s colleague the Energy Minister. Will he speak to the Energy Minister and unlock this important project? The United Kingdom needs the generating capacity, and my constituents need the jobs.

Mr. David: The hon. Gentleman is entirely right: this is an important project. We are mindful of that; discussions have taken place with my hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen, West and South Pembrokeshire (Nick Ainger), who represents the constituency where the new installation will be based, and I am sure that, across all Departments, we are absolutely committed to ensuring matters are expedited as quickly as possible, but also in a proper manner."

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan asked about job losses:

Continue reading "Cheryl Gillan wants more done about job losses in Wales" »

Monkeys should be seen and not interred

Mark Pritchard has brought a Bill before the House of Commons. It seeks to ban the breeding, selling, purchasing and keeping of primates as pets in the UK. He assured members:

"The Bill is about serious monkey business. It is estimated that up to 3,000 primates are currently being kept as pets in the United Kingdom. Many, although by no means all, are kept in cruel and cramped conditions. Whatever their captive conditions, these wild animals will always remain wild. These are animals that need large areas of vertical and horizontal space; they need certain room temperatures and humidity; they need long hours of natural sunlight; and they need a varied and balanced diet."

He went on to explain that this is a conservation issue too:

"[A]s long as primates are snatched from the wild, that particular lineage will never be replaced: the gene pool is running dry. Each year, according to “Animal Issues”, 32,000 wild caught primates are sold on the international market, and according to a recent global review of the world’s primates, 48 per cent. of species face extinction. The World Conservation Union—or the International Union for Conservation of Nature—red list of threatened species suggests that 70 per cent. of primates in Asia are now endangered. The figure is 90 per cent. in Cambodia; 86 per cent. in Vietnam, 79 per cent. in China, and 84 per cent. in Indonesia. The statistics are alarming."

ConservativeHome will keep a close eye on the progress of this primatey legislation.

Mark Pritchard on Belarus's forthcoming elections

Mark Pritchard MP leads a Westminster Hall debate on Belarus, where he visited recently and which has elections in September.

"I should first like to condemn the recent spate of bomb attacks in Minsk. Whether they were motivated by extreme hooliganism, terrorism or other factors, they are to be condemned, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the 50 or so people who were injured, many seriously. I hope not only that the perpetrators will soon be brought before the courts and the necessary justice dispensed, but that the police investigation will not be used as a pretext for curbing the freedoms of civic society and those religious, political and media organisations that espouse only peace.

Belarus stands at an important juncture in its history. The choice could not be more stark: the parliamentary elections in September will either provide a continuance of the status quo or an opportunity for a new dawn in which all the people of Belarus will be able to realise their full potential, and fulfil their dreams and those of their families.

For too long, political discussions inside and outside Belarus have been unhelpfully trapped in silos, too often accompanied by the outdated rhetoric of yesterday rather than the lexicon of the future and the language of hope. It is a false dichotomy to talk of Belarus choosing between east and west, for Belarus is strategically and geographically positioned to take advantage of both relationships, as it should—it is in its national interest to do so. One relationship does not have to suffer because of the desire to deepen ties with other partners. Belarus can be politically polygamous.

Continue reading "Mark Pritchard on Belarus's forthcoming elections" »