Oral Answers to Questions

Peter Tapsell Excerpts

Wednesday 25th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

If the cap is such a good idea, why are we not voting on it in the House of Commons tonight? If we want evidence that Labour’s policy has been written on the back of a fag packet, that tells us all we need to know. Obviously, with plain paper packaging we will be helping, Labour Members to have more room to write their policies on.

[Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle) (Con)]

May I assure my right hon. Friend—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Sir Peter must be properly heard from start to finish.

[Sir Peter Tapsell]

May I assure my right hon. Friend that I am not a paid trade union official but I fear that if Members of the House are not allowed a second job, membership of it will soon be largely confined to the inheritors of substantial fortunes or to those with rich spouses, or to obsessive crackpots or those who are unemployable anywhere else?

[The Prime Minister]

I want to be clear that the Father of the House does not fit into any of those categories. He makes an important point: Parliament is stronger because we have people with different experience. When we look around this Parliament, we see we have actually got practising doctors, practising dentists, people who served our country in Afghanistan or Iraq, and people who run family businesses or have other interests. What we want is a Parliament where people can come and share their experience and make some points, instead of just having a whole lot of trade union sponsored ciphers.