Critics slam limp proposal for holding MPs to account
THE GOVERNMENT’S proposed recall bill for MPs sparked a row yesterday, with the Taxpayers’ Alliance calling the plans “embarrassingly weak”.
Under a new bill in the Queen’s speech, parliament, not the people, will be able to trigger the sacking of an MP if they are suspected of wrongdoing or convicted of a crime with a sentence over 12-months.
A ballot, requiring 10 per cent of registered voters in the member’s constituency to sign, will then seal the MP’s fate.
Alexandra Runswick, director of Unlock Democracy, said: “Genuine recall empowers voters not parliamentary committees. There is a real danger that this could alienate people from politics and politicians even further.”
Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith also waded into the row, claiming voters have been conned: “Recall should not require the permission of the institution that’s being held to account,” he said yesterday.