Peers hear a different version of social mobility statement

When a minister reads a statement to Parliament it is repeated later on by another minister in the other House.

Yesterday the job of repeating Nick Clegg's Commons statement on social mobility to the Lords fell to Lib Dem justice minister Lord McNally.

Unfortunately for him he had been handed a different version of the speech and was picked up on it by an eagle eyed Lord Ryder.

Rather embarrassingly McNally had to admit he did not know if it was different or not as "this was the statement I was given to read".

The words spoken by the deputy prime minister in the Commons at mid-day correspond with the written statement published yesterday.

But McNally's 'repeat' of the statement delivered three hours later in the Lords, while apparently the same in substance, differed greatly in style.

One noteable difference is the lack of a name-check for Baroness Warsi in the speech delivererd in the Lords.

It's not clear whether McNally was handed an earlier draft by mistake. Or if Clegg's statement was changed before it was handed to McNally.

Next time he may want to attend the first delivery of any statement just to make sure the one he is due to deliver is the same.

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