Deputy Speaker’s Statement

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Tuesday 19th December 2023 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

We are about to proceed to the statement on housing. Before I call the Minister for Housing, Planning and Building Safety to make the statement, I must say to the House that Mr Speaker is seriously concerned that the ministerial code may have been broken.

It will be obvious to the House that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is not here to make the statement, which is not unusual. The Minister is here, and we welcome him, but I remind the House of the following provisions of the ministerial code. In paragraph 9.1:

“When Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance, in Parliament.”

In paragraph 9.3:

“Every effort should be made to avoid leaving significant announcements to the last day before a recess.”

The House may not be aware, but Mr Speaker is aware, that the Secretary of State held a televised press conference just after 12 o’clock today—while this House was sitting but while it was still dealing with questions, as we always do between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm—and that just after 12.30 pm, while the House was dealing with questions and some two hours before the Minister came to the House, the Secretary of State made this statement to journalists.

Several Members have, not surprisingly, made very reasonable complaints to Mr Speaker about this very serious discourtesy to the House, and it really must be noted that it is not a trivial matter. A senior Secretary of State made an important policy announcement on television, and now the Minister—I place no blame upon the Minister, whom we welcome to the House—is here two hours later. This is a gross discourtesy to this House.

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I cannot take a point of order until after the statement. I think it would be best to leave points of order, unless they relate absolutely directly to what I have just said.

[John Spellar]

It does, Madam Deputy Speaker.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Then I will take the right hon. Gentleman’s point of order.

[John Spellar]

Does it not show contempt, not only for Members of Parliament and this House but for our constituents, on whose behalf we speak, that the Secretary of State made this statement to journalists rather than to this House?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his point of order. I hope that is the point I have just made to the House. I take it that he agrees with what I, on behalf of Mr Speaker, have just said. It is a gross contempt.

Business without Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Friday 21st October 2022 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Is there any way of saying to the public outside, 90% of whom approve of that Bill, that it has been put off and even promised by the Government, but yet again, the Government Whips Office is blocking it? Is there any way of letting them know what is happening?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

No. The right hon. Gentleman asks a reasonable question, but no, there is no such way—except insofar as he has just done so.

Armenian Genocide (Recognition) Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Business without Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Friday 14th January 2022 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Is there any way in our procedure that we can make it clear to the public outside that this measure—the Government claim they want to see trophy hunting banned and the public overwhelmingly do—has once again, on the instruction of Ministers, been blocked by a Government Whip?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

There is indeed a way. We have run out of time for the Bill today. The right hon. Gentleman and anybody observing our proceedings will note that there were a great many Bills, and obviously there was just not time for all of them. However, the right hon. Gentleman has named Friday 18 March as the day on which the matter will come before the House again, and I hope that anyone watching our proceedings who is interested in this matter will tune in then and hear what he has to say.

Armenian Genocide (Recognition) Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Business without Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Friday 10th December 2021 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker, is there any way of putting on the record that this immensely popular Bill, both in this House and with the public, has been blocked by a Government Whip when the Government have still not produced their own Bill?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

There is no way of putting that point on record. We have now had repetition, deviation and opportunism.

Armenian Genocide (Recognition) Bill

Motion made, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Virtual Participation in Debate

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Tuesday 24th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

This is also a discourtesy because some Members of the House had considerable objections to the make-up of that particular body. They wanted to ask questions, for example, as to how much these people were going to be paid, along with their civil service salary. We also wanted to ask questions about the social composition of the grouping, but we have been deprived of that opportunity peremptorily—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

Order. The right hon. Gentleman is not addressing the matter before us. I am not having filibustering.

--- Later in debate ---

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

There are various stages of a closure motion: the granting of the closure motion, the taking of the closure motion and the substantive question that may or may not then be put. Proxy votes do not count for the calculation of the quorum necessary, which, as the right hon. Lady knows well, is 100.

[John Spellar]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Could you clarify whether it is 100 Members voting or 100 Members voting in the Aye Lobby?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I will come back to that point.

Venezuela

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Thursday 7th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

And finally, Mr John Spellar.

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

I would certainly have hoped that Andrew Neil’s recent demolition of Ken Livingstone had put to bed any claims that there had been general sanctions on Venezuela, rather than targeted ones on regime individuals. So I welcome Britain’s recognition of Juan Guaidó as the lawful President of Venezuela, and I welcome the announcement of the current aid effort. My hon. Friend the Member for Heywood and Middleton (Liz McInnes) kindly referred to my call for a Marshall plan for Venezuela, so may I again urge imaginative and detailed plans for the rapid subsequent reconstruction of Venezuela’s economy and infrastructure? Are the Minister’s Department and the Department for International Development getting on with that work, and if not, why not?

Committee on Standards: Cox Report

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Monday 7th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. The right hon. Lady is not giving way. We have not got much time.

House of Commons Commission (External Members)

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Tuesday 10th July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Of the contrary no.

[John Spellar]

No!

[Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab)]

You’re a voice crying in the wilderness, John.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Spellar

Thursday 25th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[John Spellar]

Well, you’re misleading the House—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Mrs Eleanor Laing)]

Order. I appreciate that the right hon. Gentleman was speaking from a sedentary position and perhaps he thought he would not be heard, but if he is alleging that another hon. Member is misleading the House, I cannot allow that. Even if he said it from a sedentary position, I would be grateful if he now, from a non-sedentary position, withdrew what he said.

[John Spellar]

I said I am sure the hon. Gentleman is inadvertently misleading the House.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his clarification.

--- Later in debate ---

[James Morris]

Over the last few years I have written to the Secretary of State several times about these matters. He has looked into them, and I am grateful for his time. Let me now end my speech by asking the Minister to investigate whether the following actions can be taken.

I should like the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to make the strongest intervention possible in respect of the capabilities and governance of Sandwell Council. I should like it to make a series of recommendations which would restore public trust and confidence, and which would be overseen by an independent commissioner. I should like it to look into the behaviour and conduct of both elected and non-elected members of the authority, and I should like those who are found to have behaved inappropriately to be removed from their posts. I should like the Minister to look into the rules relating to councillors and bankruptcy to ensure that those who have been declared bankrupt cannot hold public office, and to strengthen the independence of standards committees by keeping them free from political influence by ensuring that independent members are externally appointed.

There are also many questions to be answered by the local authority, including questions about monitoring officers. Perhaps the Minister could look into that as well, because Sandwell has been through a number of them in the last four years. I should like to know how much the redundancies cost, and whether the use of compromise agreements has been used to gag those people. I understand that such agreements have been used. I should like to understand why, and also why it is so difficult for the authority to keep monitoring officers in post.

What I have said today has, in many respects, probably just scratched the surface. No one will ever know the complete story, and I may well have missed out many things that others will feel needed to be said. I initiated the debate primarily because I felt that it was in the public interest to do so: the public need to know answers, and I will continue to press for the truth to come out. I did so also because I have met and spoken to so many people in Rowley Regis, in Sandwell, and further afield who are gravely concerned. I have spoken to residents, faith leaders, businesses, and others who have given decades of service, including members of the Labour party who were in tears as they spoke to me about the state of political authority and control in the party in Sandwell. They now feel that there is nowhere left for them to turn.

I hope that the Minister has been as disturbed by what he has heard today as many residents of Sandwell are, and I hope that he will be able to intervene in a way that will restore public trust and bring an end to this rotten regime.

[John Spellar]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Mrs Eleanor Laing)]

Order. The right hon. Gentleman cannot speak in this debate. In order to do so, he would need the permission, sought previously, of the hon. Member whose debate it is and of the Minister, and the Chair would also expect to know, and that is not the situation in which we find ourselves, so I am afraid that it is not in order for the right hon. Gentleman to speak.

--- Later in debate ---

[John Spellar]

Give way!

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Mrs Eleanor Laing)]

Order. The Minister is not giving way. The right hon. Member for Warley (John Spellar) is normally an extremely well-behaved Member of this House, and I hope that he will revert to that within the next few seconds.