The Conservative rebel, AKA Douglas Hogg, argued that a unilateral guarantee would grant the Government the moral high ground.
By Jonathan IsabyFollow Jonathan on Twitter The latest issue of the House Magazine (not online) features an interesting little snippet: the ex-MP formerly known as Douglas Hogg could be returning to Parliament through an unconventional route. When his father, Viscount Hailsham, died in 2001, he inherited the title, but did not style himself as such […]
Yesterday saw Foreign Office questions. Shadow Deputy Secretary of State for Wales David Jones and former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind both asked about Iran's nuclear ambitions: "The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband): The International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report of 19 February shows that Iran continues to refuse to […]
Defence Questions came around again yesterday. Conservative members dominated the session and exhibited excellent technical knowledge. James Arbuthnot (MP for North-East Hampshire) chairs the Defence Select Committee. He asked about Pakistan: "Does the Secretary of State accept that the events in Lahore today show that instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan extends far beyond the border […]
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith came before the House of Commons yesterday to make a statement on the Damian Green arrest. She was very much on the defensive: "As the statement issued by Sir David Normington on 28 November made clear, he was informed by the police at about 1.45 pm on 27 November that a […]
Hansard has the full report of the Speaker’s statement on Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green and subsequent contributions from MPs here. There will be a debate on the issue on Monday. Some highlights from yesterday are reproduced below. The Speaker is to be commended for one thing: offering no public comment before addressing Parliament: "In […]
Yesterday the Commons voted to limit annual spending on furnishings to £2,400 but Ann Widdecombe MP warned her colleagues against ‘crawling on their bellies’ in the face of "malicious" attacks from the media. Ann Widdecombe: "Both Front Benches remind me of those Governments who hold referendums, and when their citizens give them an answer they […]
Questions from four Conservative MPs regarding Zimbabwe in Parliament yesterday. A ROLE FOR THE SAS? Gerald Howarth MP: "Many people find it morally repugnant that the international community has fiddled so ineffectively as Zimbabwe has literally burned. Can the Foreign Secretary tell the House how many British subjects there are in Zimbabwe, and what sort […]