Personal Statements

Nigel Evans Excerpts

Thursday 22nd July 2021 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

Mr Speaker has granted leave to the hon. Member for Gravesham (Adam Holloway) and the right hon. Member for Beckenham (Bob Stewart) to make personal statements following the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in its second report of Session 2021-22. I remind the House that there can be no debate arising from such statements.

[Adam Holloway (Gravesham) (Con) [V]]

I wish to apologise to the House. Yesterday, the Committee on Standards adjudged that I and four other MPs were wrong to write a joint letter to two senior judges, copied to the judge who was hearing a case, which was followed by further letters to the Lord Chief Justice and the case judge, judged to try to influence the way personal references in court cases were made public. I now know it was improper to do so. I regret that and repeat and emphasise my apology.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

Thank you very much, Mr Holloway. I now, via video link, call the right hon. Bob Stewart. [Interruption.] Hold on, Bob; we cannot hear you. [Interruption.] No, we still cannot hear you. Do you have someone to help you? Can you unmute your microphone? [Interruption.]

We will suspend at this moment, as we would have done before the next business, and then come back, hopefully, to Colonel Bob for his statement.

--- Later in debate ---

On resuming—

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

Let us see whether a miracle has happened and we can hear Colonel Bob Stewart.

[Bob Stewart (Beckenham) (Con) [V]]

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I hope that the miracle has happened.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

It has.

[Bob Stewart]

I want to apologise to the House. Yesterday, the Committee on Standards adjudged that I and four other MPs were wrong to write a joint letter to two senior judges, copied to the judge who was about to hear a case, followed by further letters to the Lord Chief Justice and the case judge, which it concluded were an attempt to try to influence the way references in court cases were made public. I now know that it was wrong to do so. I regret it and I repeat my apology to the House.