The Lords rose this evening, just after 6.30 p.m., following the announcement of Royal Assent to several measures, including what is now the Political Parties and Elections Act and the Parliamentary Standards Act. The Commons will rise shortly following a debate on the motion for a summer adjournment. Both Houses will return on Monday 12…
The saga of the Parliamentary Standards Bill continues. On my way to a meeting this morning, a former Labour Cabinet minister saw me to say what an awful Bill it was. This afternoon, a senior cross-bench peer summed up his view of the Bill and the way it was being dealt with. He was succinct: “What…
The Leader of the House this morning announced that, if necessary, we would get an extra day in committee on the Parliamentary Standards Bill and that the Government would table amendments to meet some of the concerns raised in debate on Wednesday. That represents some progress but for anyone to suggest that this will enable…
We had a five-hour debate yesterday on the Second Reading of the Parliamentary Standards Bill. It rather resembled the Second Reading debate in the Commons in that the Bill was friendless on the back-benches. Indeed, only the minister spoke in support. I made the case for insisting on the normal intervals between the stages of the Bill. …
The Parliamentary Standards Bill was put together in haste in an attempt to address public anger over parliamentarians’ use of expenses. It seeks to set up an independent agency to administer MPs’ pay and allowances, and establishes a commissioner to conduct investigations. The problem with the Bill is that it does not get to the…
