9pm update:
Junior frontbencher David Jones has posted on his blog in support of John Redwood's call for a recall of Parliament. He is specifically concerned that the Commons gets the chance to question ministers about the release of the Lockerbie bomber:
"We
need to learn the truth about the discussions that took place between
Britain and Libya prior to al-Megrahi’s release. That can only be
achieved by statements from the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary
and the Business Secretary. Crucially,
also, we need to know what the Government proposes to do to restore
good relations with the United States. Again, Brown and Miliband must
present themselves to the House, make their statements and answer what
are likely to be extremely searching questions."
—
Last week I highlighted how Liam Fox was having to write to Government ministers to ask questions in the absence of the ability to submit official parliamentary questions for most of the recess.
Today, as the summer recess enters its fifth full week, senior backbencher John Redwood has called for a recall of Parliament on the back of the emergency session of the Scottish Parliament organised for this afternoon to discuss the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
But as Mr Redwood points out, that's not the only issue which has arisen since the Commons rose for the summer meriting debate in the Commons. He identifies:
- The increase in quantitative easing and larger deterioration in our fiscal position, necessitating an urgent debate on the state of the economy;
- Several Committee reports on health care, prompting the need for a proper debate on the NHS;
- The death of more British troops in Afghanistan, along with leaks about the state of military procurement, for which ministers need to be held to account.
He states, in an open letter to Gordon Brown:
"When you first took the highest political office in the UK you stated that you wished to restore the UK Parliament to a more central role in our democratic life. You cannot be serious unless you today recall the UK Parliament, to meet later this week."
Jonathan Isaby