Member News
The procedure for private member's bills was condemned as "completely chaotic" today after a bill faced concerted opposition from the Tory benches.
Joan Walley (Lab, Stoke on Trent North) was down on the order paper today with the second PMB.
She did not get a chance to introduce her Public Bodies (Sustainable Food) Bill at second reading.
Tory MPs had used up all the time available talking out the Sustainable Livestock Bill introduced by Robert Flello (Lab, Stoke on Trent South).
The House discussed it for around five hours, with lengthy orations from several Conservatives.
David Nuttall (Con, Bury North) spoke for more than an hour, and earned a stinging rebuke from the Speaker at one point.
"The hon. Gentleman, though a new Member, will be very well familiar with Standing Order No. 42 on the subject of tedious repetition and irrelevance, and I know that he will not wish to fall foul of that," Speaker Bercow said.
"In passing, although I know he is a man with an exceptional memory, I should perhaps just remind him and the House and others interested in our proceedings that on another private Member’s Bill on 22 October this year, he developed his argument for one hour and 39 minutes in respect of a two-clause Bill.
"This Bill has five clauses, it is true, but he behaved in a slightly unsatisfactory way on that occasion, and I feel sure that he will not want to repeat the experience."
After debate on Flello's bill, Walley complained on a point of order about the "number of objections to valid private member's bills".
She said the process needs urgent reform and should be discussed with the leader of the House.
Jim Dowd said the process is "completely chaotic".
Earlier Walley was angered by Jacob Rees-Mogg, "on behalf of many thousands of people in the UK who care about food, who do not want poetry recited in the House of Commons and who, in the run-up to the 800th anniversary celebrations of the Magna Carta, want this place to be dealing with real issues about sustainable food".
"Is it not time that the business leaders of the House of Commons, with Mr Speaker and you, Mr Deputy Speaker, find a way to deal with Bills such as mine, which are not mischievous, which deserve to go into Committee to be properly discussed, in the interest of public health, and which are supported by organisations such as Sustain?
"People expect the House of Commons to give a proper hearing to the real debate, so what can be done?"
Deputy Speaker Evans said he would bring her comments to the attention of Mr Speaker on Monday morning.
"I know how frustrating a private Members' day can be when you have the second, third or fourth Bill to be presented; I am a veteran of Friday mornings and I have been fortunate enough to have had several private Members' Bills, one of which had fair wind from the Government and sailed through.
"The others did not, so I know how frustrated she might be."
John McDonnell's Lawful Industrial Action (Minor Errors) Bill has its second reading on October 22.
The debate was also dominated by long speeches from Conservative MPs designed to talk out the bill.
In a point of order, McDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, told deputy Speaker Nigel Evans:
"Today we have seen a re-visitation of the practices of filibustering."
He said such actions in the past "brought the House into disrepute".
McDonnell said they brought "shame and disgrace" on the Commons and urged Evans to "take this matter back" to the Speaker.
He called for a review of standing orders "so that democracy is no longer frustrated by a small number of members".
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