Contributions
2,684 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillThat is definitely my understanding of constitutional practice, but—without getting into the details—there have been one or two recent decisions by the courts that might be…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillIt is very much on that point. That case was brought by the hon. Gentleman’s hon. and learned Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Joanna Cherry). Why was she sacked from…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Billrose—06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillNot for a little bit, because I want to run briefly through the clauses in the Bill. There are six clauses and one schedule. The first clause repeals the Fixed-term Parliaments…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillMy right hon. Friend is exactly right. If any Prime Minister felt that the House’s decision not to grant supply, the House’s decision to censure an individual Minister or the…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillI believe that clause 3 is robust and fit for purpose, but it is also the case that Professor Ekins, of the Judicial Power Project attached to the think-tank Policy Exchange, is a…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillIn this House and indeed in this Administration, there is a distinction between the role of Director of Public Prosecutions and Attorney General. I understand that in the Scottish…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillI am more than happy to give way to my hon. Friend, a distinguished member of the Joint Committee.06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillIt is precisely because there have been at least two elections of the kind that the hon. Gentleman draws attention to that the Fixed-term Parliaments Act has not done what it said…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillThat is an important point, but it is also important to recognise that no newly elected Government can effectively govern without Parliament. It would be impossible without a vote…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. Our approach to the dissolution of Parliament and the calling of elections before the Fixed-term Parliament Act was robust, successful and…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillRegarding the coalition years, I think that others are better placed—given that I served in the Government for five years—to decide which was the worst piece of legislation that…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillThat is very good advice from the hon. Gentleman. He, like me, believes that brevity is the soul of wit.06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillThe formal motion of no confidence that is traditionally requested by the Opposition and has to be granted within a day is a classic example, but on the question of military…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillIn those circumstances the Prime Minister could immediately, and should immediately, request of Her Majesty a Dissolution and an election would follow. One of the most powerful…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillI will in just a second. The Joint Committee found that the 2011 Act did fulfil its immediate political purpose of maintaining the coalition Government for five years, but that it…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillI completely disagree. Looking at the broad economic situation that we face and what may happen in future, we have a well-informed and judicious electorate that will make a…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillThe points made by the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) are nearly always good ones, but on this occasion it is wrong. Ultimately, the decision about whether it is right to…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillI will just make a little progress and then come back to the right hon. Gentleman. We saw in the 2017 to 2019 Parliament what happened when Parliament attempted to sustain a…06 Jul 2021HANSARD Dissolution and Calling of Parliament BillNo, it is not what it is about. The money spent on elections is an issue in which the Liberal Democrats and other parties have long had an interest, but more broadly the point is…06 Jul 2021