We cannot throw away valuable public & political good will any longer. It’s humiliating & degrading to their office to see ministers put out agreed lines in defence of an advisor. This is a time of national emergency and our focus must be unrelenting. We owe it to the nation.
A ridiculous situation where parents can’t watch their children’s school sports days, but 2000 VIPs can fly over to watch the football with special legal exemptions. Prolonged covid restrictions are now proving arbitrary and divisive
This evening I shall vote against the continuation of restrictions on individuals’ everyday lives, communities and businesses. The vaccines are working. Let us get back to normal for our health and happiness.
Actions taken by
@metpoliceuk
this evening are shocking, but it is the arbitrary, disproportionate and redundant laws introduced by Ministers and passed by
@UKParliament
which are to blame. Time to repeal them, restoring peoples’ freedoms and liberties.
For context, I’ve become increasingly concerned and depressed by the toxicity of the debate around immigration and asylum, which, I’m sorry to say, has been worsened by the Home Secretary.
If banning conversion therapy will stop the likes of me being subjected to mental cruelty in repressing my true self, why not so for someone who is trans? I can see no logic in excluding trans people from legislation banning conversion therapy. Let’s have some empathy.
I will support the nhs fee exemption for migrant nhs and care workers. Now is the time for a generosity of spirit towards those who have done so much good. I am sure that
@Conservatives
colleagues will be supportive.
No, it was very human behaviour- well within the law- by people who probably faced Christmas alone and had been bounced into travelling en masse because of the midnight deadline.
“This was clearly totally irresponsible behaviour.”
Health Secretary
@MattHancock
responds to footage of a packed train station in London, as people tried to flee the city ahead of tougher new
#coronavirus
rules.
#Ridge
:
Nus is very brave to speak out. I was truly appalled to learn of her experience. She shows such strength and integrity supporting others. I am proud to have her as my friend and colleague. We must change things for the better.
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: A Conservative MP has accused a party whip of telling her she was fired from her ministerial job because her Muslim faith was “making colleagues uncomfortable”
Andrew Sabisky’s presence in no.10 is a poor reflection on the Govt and there is no way to defend it. He needs to go. ‘Weirdos’ and ‘misfits’ are all very well, but please can they not gratuitously cause offence.
I cannot be the only one uncomfortable with recent no.10 trends.
I shall vote against additional restrictions, including mandatory vaccination and covid passports.
However, I entirely encourage people to book a covid vaccine booster.
Encouragement not coercion.
Thank you to
@sajidjavid
for ruling out domestic covid vaccine passports. It was clear many ministers were rightly sceptical of them. The evidence for them was flimsy at best, not to mention an infringement of civil liberties. Glad voices of common sense have prevailed.
It is a privilege to be the Member of Parliament for Hazel Grove. I have made the decision not to stand at the next election. I shall continue to represent constituents to the best of my ability in the meantime and thank everyone for their wonderful support over the years.
Re Mr Hancock, a thought: Covid regulations have created a dystopian world of denunciation, finger-wagging & hypocrisy. Let us be freed from this tyranny of diktat and arbitrary rule. As we shall inevitably see with this sad example, the revolution always consumes its own.
I am standing again to be a vice-chair of the 1922 Executive and hope colleagues will support me to continue in the role. The situation needs a new confidence vote in the PM, which can come by Tuesday next week. In the meantime he could do the right thing and resign.
Her question to
@ipsaUK
concerned whether a speeding ticket incurred during the course of parliamentary duties could be claimed on expenses. Rather embarrassed, the representatives from
@ipsaUK
said no.
Ah, the haranguing you gave me in the tearoom the other day, it all makes sense now, you were rehearsing your lines for cabinet
@NadineDorries
. Well done 👏
Talk of closing pubs, restaurants & cafes is misplaced, given that very limited transmission of covid seems to take place there. It would be counterproductive to close them, if people were to then meet in each other’s homes, where transmission is much higher...
This evening, having kept quiet for a while, I was struck by the lamentable hopelessness of the Home Secretary, remembering particularly her first week or so as a Member of Parliament
Talk that the
@HouseofCommons
can only be recalled for EU-related matters, and that tier 4 prevents MPs doing their jobs scrutinising the government, is nonsense. Here is the relevant standing order. Conveniently we adjourned on Thursday. Time to recall.
#takebackcontrol
May I politely ask that colleagues concern themselves with their own constituencies. I would not wish tighter restrictions on their constituents. We’re willing to work constructively to improve the situation in Greater Manchester & would ask for the short time and space to do so.
20 MPs have today written to Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham. Let's work together to avoid another damaging lockdown, tackling the virus on a regional basis, responding to the infection rates if we are save lives, look after the NHS, keep children in school, & shelter the economy.
Very pleased to hear of exemption for migrant NHS & care workers from NHS surcharge. I’m very grateful to
@BorisJohnson
who has shown true leadership, listened and reflected. Thank you to him and to my colleagues for their strong representations.
The sense of failure is overwhelming. I shall avoid political comment until I have heard
@MattHancock
’s statement in
@HouseofCommons
this evening. Leadership is required from everybody. Trust is placed in us all and that is the privilege of public office.
Tonight I voted against taking ‘no deal’ off the table. The prospect of ‘no deal’ is a useful bargaining tool in negotiations.
However,
@HouseofCommons
proved it couldn’t negotiate its way out of a paper bag.
I will continue voting to secure leaving the EU in full & on time
I’ve reserved judgement on the Chequers’ Brexit plan, but I have grave misgivings about it and understand entirely why
@DavidDavisMP
has found it necessary to resign. It was the right thing to do.
Previous tweets were a symptom of my patience snapping. Although true, being cheeky and off-hand doesn’t aid good public discourse, which is something we should all strive to maintain. I hope everyone has a nice weekend, remembering we tend to have more in common.
Stockport’s Covid rates continue to fall sharply and will no doubt be lower still next week. We should be considered for tiering on a Local Authority basis. As we have not been, I cannot support these proposals.
The Prime Minister cares deeply about our country. He has continued to work tirelessly through his illness. Let’s send him our best wishes for a recuperative rest and strong recovery. Get well soon
@BorisJohnson
!
Domestic covid passports will be costly, impractical and divisive. The Government should abandon any such consideration and focus on encouraging people to get vaccinated, rather than coercing them. I’m pleased to chair
@CommonsPACAC
that produced today’s report 👇
Update: We recieved an email at 21:19, over an hour after the tweet by Sky, and forty minutes after my tweet.
We have a briefing with a junior minister tomorrow morning at 10:45, which is better I guess that the twenty minutes notice we received on Monday...
I voted for the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and for the timetable to pass the legislation. Unfortunately
@HouseofCommons
as a whole voted to delay matters. People are fed up with this pointless delay. We’ve been going on about this for more than 3 years!
Regardless of my name temporarily being removed from the McPartland amendments (although not the motion to disagree), I am still supporting the amendment and will vote accordingly tomorrow.
@McrCladiators
Sir David Amess was a friend to all. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He was tremendous fun, could be relied upon to cheer us up and had the best stories going. A dedicated MP who cared deeply for others. What a loss. How we shall all miss him.
I am pleased to support
@SirGrahamBrady
’s amendment. The current ineffectiveness of parliamentary scrutiny of the Government, combined with rapacious ministerial diktat, makes this change essential. Better scrutiny, challenge and more votes, will make for better decisions.
We have now tabled the amendment led by
@SirGrahamBrady
to the six-month parliamentary review of the Coronavirus Act:
I have separately tabled an amendment to omit Schedule 21, under which there have been 121 unlawful and 0 successful prosecutions...
As a vice chair of the 1922 committee overseeing the election of a new leader of the
@Conservatives
, I shall not declare who I am supporting. I wish all my colleagues well - it is a hugely brave thing to stand. Let us go forward together 🇬🇧
A dog’s breakfast approach to a Withdrawal Agreement Bill is not the way to proceed. There comes a point when trying to please everyone, pleases no one. It has lost my support and I will not vote for it.
‘Greater Manchester’ is not one homogeneous area. We must always err on the side of caution with Covid, but to treat all 10 boroughs the same is not the right approach. I will update constituents as soon as I am given further information, other than what has been announced.
Given symptoms that have developed today, I’m following the up-to-date medical advice and will isolate myself for the next week. I will be using the NHS website to seek further advice and arrange to undertake any necessary tests.
Really exciting announcement! The UK Government has announced a £100m Erasmus+ replacement - widening opportunities across the globe for British students to study- The Turing Scheme 🇬🇧🔬🧬
“Decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.”
Churchill got it right today about this shambles of a
@HouseofCommons
& its collection of mealy-mouthed ‘democrats’. The country deserves better.
Plain fact is that Mr Speaker acted in a partisan way to meet the needs of Kier Starmer in managing his party. He changed the rules of the game. That is not the action of an impartial referee. All other considerations are secondary in this matter.
After a weekend of argybargy & a letter writing bonanza, it’s fair to say that people across Greater Manchester expect their representatives to find solutions. I earnestly believe this can be achieved with goodwill tomorrow, and I for one want to be part of the solution.
💬 Immensely disappointed Stockport remains in Tier 3, despite rates per 100,000 falling from 400+ to nearly 100 📉
❌ These decisions continue to be arbitrary & incomprehensible.
❓ Does there have to be fewer than 100 cases per 100k to qualify for Tier 2?
I hadn’t realised that the procedure the Commons followed on Wednesday is the same procedure that the SNP government use in the Scottish parliament for opposition day debates.
No
@DerbysPolice
were not right to do so, because they hadn’t broken any law. I’m sorry that senior members of the Government seem unable to recognise this distinction.
The need to suppress covid is clear & urgent, but this example brings enforcement into disrepute.
Were the police right to fine two women who drove 5 miles for a walk?
"Absolutely, I'm going to back the police because...every flex can be fatal" says
@MattHancock
and "these rules are not there as boundaries to be pushed - they're the limit"
#Ridge
The Red Wall plot to remove Boris Johnson - with Tory MPs meeting to discuss submitting letters - is not going down well in Cabinet
'It's pretty sickening. They were only elected because of him. Most of them are a load of fucking nobodies. It's nuts'
Thank you to
@MattHancock
,
@Mark_Spencer
&
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
for a constructive meeting earlier today. There is considerable demand for further parliamentary scrutiny & votes upon Covid-19 measures, which is understood by Govt. Progress is being made ahead of Wednesday’s debate.
Tonight’s
@HouseofCommons
Indicative Votes are gerrymandered & do not represent wider views of MPs. I will be voting against all these false options.
I’ll continue to vote for the Withdrawal Agreement and keeping No Deal on the table to ensure we actually leave the EU
At the moment 3 children in every classroom are struggling with a mental health problem. With this in mind I have written to Ofsted to urge that mental wellbeing should form part of the assessment for school inspections. I am pleased to support
@youngmindsuk
in their work on this
Good to meet
@BALPApilots
this afternoon to support them on
#TravelDayOfAction
. Now that we have high levels of vaccination it is vital that the travel sector can operate again. 100,000s jobs depend on it and we must do better for them
History is about people in the past- the good, the bad & quite often a mix. It is a warts ‘n’ all patchwork of how we got to where we are today. It cannot be re-lived, only better understood. It’s influence may be felt, but we shape our future. Educate rather than erase.
Well done to my colleagues
@bbradleymp
&
@mariacaulfield
for sticking to their principles and resigning as Vice Chairmen of the
@Conservatives
over the Chequers’ statement: They are right to do so.
Honoured to be elected chairman of the
@commonsPACAC
Committee of the House of Commons. Thank you to all colleagues who voted for me and to
@DavidJonesMP
for a good campaign.
A retrograde step that further diminishes the role of Parliament at a critical time. Better scrutiny leads to better decision making. I hope that like-minded colleagues will oppose this tomorrow. Until we speak up for the value of our role, why should anyone else?
🖋️ We have received a letter on sittings in Westminster Hall and Private Members' Bills from
@CommonsLeader
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
📄 The relevant motions will be on tomorrow's Order Paper
@HouseofCommons
which will be published here:
Pleased to receive my first covid-19 vaccine at Alderley Park today. Those aged 30 and over are now eligible. Thanks to everyone who’s making it possible - scientists, medics & volunteers 👏
#letsgetbacktonormal
Today I met with representatives from
@McrCladiators
, alongside Cheadle MP
@MaryRobinson01
. They are a campaign group fighting the costs being placed on leaseholders for the remediation of cladding and fire safety.
Today I spoke of the need for reconciliation as we leave the European Union.
Although there are many strengths to the Prime Minister’s deal, my principle reservation remains the Northern Ireland backstop. As such, I cannot support it.
Full speech here:
The
@HouseofCommons
is a ‘citizens assembly’ I suppose. Perhaps it might be a reasonable place for such deliberations, rather than subcontracting out responsibility to unaccountable bodies.
NEW: Labour will introduce citizens' assemblies to decide contentious issues, such as Lords reform and housebuilding
Sue Gray has told
@TomBaldwin66
of the “transformational” success of bodies in Ireland that built consensus for constitutional change
Labour MPs, many of whom I can call friends, and who would cheer me to the rafters when I was being a thorn in the side of my own government, should reflect. How would they feel if the boot was on the other foot?