'This Tory Government has dragged the reputation of parliament into the mud'

05 September 2023 , 19:13

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Sir Chris Bryant in the House of Commons

Parliament is in trouble. Twenty-two MPs have been suspended for a day or more or resigned before they were removed since the last election in December 2019.

That makes this the worst parliament on record. There’s been plenty to wind you up. There’s the name-calling and argy-bargy every week at Prime Minister’s Questions. Or Boris Johnson’s lies about what went on in Downing Street – and his lies about his lies. Or the former Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson peddling influence round parliament on behalf of his clients who were paying him more than £100,000 a year.

Or the special VIP lane for multimillion pound PPE contracts for MPs’ and ministers’ mates. Or MPs bullying staff and engaging in sexual behaviour. Or the fact some people seem to think there’s one set of rules for them and another for the rest of us. And then there’s Nadine Dorries.

First she says she’s so furious that she’s been blocked for a seat for life in the Lords – which she seems to think is her god-given right – that she’s resigning as an MP “with immediate effect”. But she hangs on for months. She continues to take a parliamentary salary for her and her two daughters. She has time to present a TV show, but no time to turn up to speak in parliament for more than a year.

All this is dragging the reputation of parliament into the mud. I’m not surprised the polls suggest that voters think all MPs are wasters, crooks and liars, but it frightens me, because if parliament loses voters’ trust, democracy itself is in danger. And if democracy was worth fighting for in two world wars, it’s worth fighting to reform it now.

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Nadine Dorries is an example of the many things that are wrong with this Government (TalkTV)

Which is why I’ve written a book that guides you through the parliamentary shenanigans since 2019. It gives a backstage pass to parliament and, equally importantly, it shows how we can fix parliament so that it really works for us all. There are some obvious things we should do. I wouldn’t ban all second jobs – helping in A&E or milking cows on the family farm is fine – but we should crack down on outside employment as consultants and directors wherever there is a conflict of interest.

Ministers who mislead parliament deliberately or accidentally and are told to correct the record by the UK Statistics Authority should be chucked out if they don’t do so within a month. We should also insist on much greater transparency. At the moment, ordinary MPs quite rightly have to register details of any free hospitality they receive within 28 days, but ministers don’t have to do so until months later.

That special exemption should end. The PM’s supposedly “independent” adviser on ministers’ interests should be given full independence so they can investigate any potential breach of the ministerial code, even by the PM, without having to ask the PM for permission. MPs who don’t attend parliament to vote or speak for more than six months should be expelled unless they have a valid reason (such as illness). That’s the rule for local councillors, so why not for MPs? Please note, Nadine.

Likewise, the ministerial code demands that ministers announce new policies to parliament first, so if they leak it to the press first, they should be investigated and face suspension from the House for disorderly conduct. And, of course, we should put a stop to the totally discredited resignation honours lists. Yes, it’s good to honour people who have done something for the nation, but the idea that a sacked PM gets to reward their cronies is just offensive to those who really do merit national recognition.

But the main reason I wrote this book is that the nub of the problem is that we in the UK give too much power to the person at the top. The way Sunak and others behave you would think democracy happens once every five years and as long as they have a majority, they can do what they want. The PM can decide when parlia-ment sits, how long it sits, what it debates, how long it debates it, what amendments can be voted on and when a general election is held.

The PM can change the laws on elections and alter the numbers in the Lords for party advantage. So parliament is completely in his grip. It’s “winner takes all”. But power, like muck and money, is best spread around. That’s why I want a new Great Reform Act to allow parliament to take back control.

Yes, this present parliament is way past its use-by date. And, of course, it’s time we pressed the reset button and had a general election. But we need to go much further if we want a parliament in which every MP upholds standards in public life and is able to speak without fear or favour. I say this not because I’m particularly good. I’m not. I’ve got into plenty of scrapes. But I do want parliament to be good enough. And as it stands, it’s not.

* Code of Conduct: Why We Need to Fix Parliament – and How to Do It, by Chris Bryant, is published by Bloomsbury and priced £14.99.

Chris Bryant