Business without Debate

Edward Leigh Excerpts

Friday 13th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I am grateful to the right hon. Member for giving notice of his point of order. As he knows, it is not a matter for the Chair, but he has put his point on the record.

[Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con)]

Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. It might be useful if a Member of Parliament who has not often taken part in demos in central London intervenes at this point to show that opinion in this House of Commons is absolutely united. In various Parliaments—indeed, in most Parliaments in Europe—MPs have immunity from prosecution. We have never had that system here, and we have always proclaimed what is very much the British way: that Members of Parliament are no different from any other member of the public. If they do wrong, they will be held to account, but they should not be subject to some greater test of culpability just because they are Members of Parliament. As somebody who is not in the same party as the right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) and often has rather different views from his, I wanted to rise to show that what he has just said has universal support in this House.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I thank the right hon. Member for his point of order. While it is not a matter for the Chair, he has put his point on the record and he has been heard by the House.