Freedom of information: Letter from Martin Horwood MP (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

Freedom of information: Letter from Martin Horwood MP

May 23, 2007 10:08 AM

Given the shameful display of self-interest by some of my fellow MPs on Friday 18 May, backing a bill to exempt themselves from the Freedom of Information Act, I feel I should let my electors in Cheltenham know where I stand.

The excuse made by Gloucester MP Parmjit Dhanda and other supporters is that this bill is needed to protect the confidentiality of MPs correspondence with their constituents. This is a smokescreen. My Cheltenham constituents can be quite sure that I have never breached their confidentiality, nor do I think the current Freedom of Information laws have ever threatened it. The giveaway was that an amendment to restrict the bill just to MPs' private correspondence was also defeated. So what were MPs really trying to protect?

The answer of course was embarrassing details like their own travel expenses. Could that possibly be what sent the overwhelming majority of both Tory and Labour MPs present scuttling into the pro-secrecy lobby that Friday? Full credit to the five Tory and twelve Labour rebels who joined all the Liberal Democrats present in voting against it.

Now it's confession time. I hadn't expected the bill to pass, Fridays are traditionally MPs' day for their constituencies and I was attending meetings here on school admissions and the planned Gloucester Parkway station. But I regret missing the chance to oppose this awful bill and, if the House of Lords don't throw it out completely, I'll make sure I am there to oppose it if and when it comes back to the House of Commons.

The other four Gloucestershire MPs missed the vote too but I hope they will join me in in voting for freedom of information to apply to all of us next time.

But if our colleagues do risk what's left of their shredded reputations and vote this bill through, I for one will ignore it. I promise to publish exactly the same details of my expenses as have been published this year. And I'd challenge all other MPs to do likewise.

Yours

Martin Horwood MP