news story

10 August 2006

West MP Calls for Urgent Recall of Parliament

Northavon MP and member of the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Steve Webb this month called for Parliament to be recalled as a matter of urgency. The MP issued his call, along with Lib Dem leader Menzies Campbell and MPs of other parties as the crisis in the Middle East deepened.

The MP said that recent developments in this country, with the UK national security status being raised to critical, had strengthened the case for Parliament to break from its Summer recess to be briefed by ministers and to scrutinise the Government's actions.

Steve Webb said that the situation in the Middle East had been the single issue on which he was currently receiving more letters and e-mails than any other, and that they had been unanimously critical of the Government's approach. Having taken these concerns up in writing with the Prime Minister, he this week received a three page reply, personally signed by Tony Blair, defending the Government's strategy.

Steve Webb said:

"The situation in the Middle East is grave, the Prime Minister's approach is out of step with what the vast majority of my constituents want to see, and yet Parliament is being completely bypassed. Even at the highest levels of government there are misgivings about the Prime Minister's refusal to call for an unconditional ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel and yet MPs have not had the opportunity to question him about the situation.

"Now we are told that our own national security situation is "critical", which reinforces the case for an urgent recall. Local people rightly expect their concerns to be expressed and their questions to be answered, and the most effective way to do this would be to get MPs together at the earliest possible opportunity so that these issues can be properly debated".