Knife crime

Richard Foord Excerpts

Thursday 14th December 2023 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Eleanor Laing)]

What an extremely good debate.

[Richard Foord (Tiverton and Honiton) (LD)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Earlier, at business questions, the hon. Member for Bridgwater and West Somerset (Mr Liddell-Grainger) made a factually inaccurate and outlandish claim, which he may wish to come to the House to correct. I should say that I have notified him.

Can you inform me, Madam Deputy Speaker, whether making this accusation is appropriate? I will explain further. The hon. Member alleged that the chair of the Mid Devon District Council scrutiny committee, whom he named directly, was hosting a Christmas party funded by local government funds. That simply is not true. The party that the chair of the scrutiny committee, Councillor Rachel Gilmour, will be throwing on Sunday—it is open to anyone who wishes to join—will be funded by private funds. She will be paying for it herself. I wonder whether it would be appropriate to invite the hon. Member to correct the record.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I thank hon. Gentleman for his point of order. As ever, it is not for the Chair to adjudicate on the veracity of anything that anyone says in this House. Those are often matters of opinion. It would appear that the matter to which the hon. Gentleman refers is not a matter of opinion but a matter of fact. Of course, I do not know the facts. The hon. Gentleman clearly wishes to draw attention to his disagreement with the hon. Member for Bridgwater and West Somerset (Mr Liddell-Grainger) over the facts in question—I am pleased to hear that he notified that hon. Member of his intention to raise the point of order—and I can only say that he has done so, but it is not a matter for the Chair.