Caroline Lucas votes in election boundary changes which would affect Sussex seats (From The Argus)
Get involved: Send your news, views, pictures and video by texting SUPIC to 80360 or email us.
Caroline Lucas votes in election boundary changes which would affect Sussex seats
6:59pm Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News
David Cameron's hopes of fighting the 2015 general election on redrawn constituency boundaries were dealt a death blow in the Commons after the Liberal Democrats turned on their coalition colleagues.
MPs voted by 334 to 292, majority 42, to delay the review of the boundaries until 2018 after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg withdrew his party's support for Mr Cameron's plan in retaliation for the failure to make progress on House of Lords reform.
In an unprecedented move reflecting the split between coalition parties on the issue, the Prime Minister agreed to suspend the requirement for Government ministers to exercise collective responsibility for the vote on the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill.
The Prime Minister had hoped the new constituencies would be in place for the next election, which could have resulted in up to an extra 20 seats for his Conservative Party.
But MPs accepted an amendment made by peers to the Bill which delays the review until after the next general election.
The plan would have seen the number of MPs reduced from 650 to 600, with constituencies of roughly equal numbers of voters.
But the amendment tabled in the Lords by a cross-party alliance led by Labour's Lord Hart of Chilton and Lib Dem Lord Rennard and now agreed by MPs has left the proposal in tatters.
Analysis of division lists revealed all 57 Liberal Democrat MPs voted to delay the boundary review.
They were joined by 251 Labour MPs and four rebel Conservatives: John Baron (Basildon & Billericay), Philip Davies (Shipley), David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden) and Sir Richard Shepherd (Aldridge-Brownhills).
MPs from the minor parties also lined up agains the Tories.
Three Plaid Cymru MPs voted to keep the amendment: Jonathan Edwards (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr), Elfyn Llwyd (Dwyfor Meirionnydd), Hywel Williams (Arfon).
Six Scottish National Party MPs voted to keep the amendment: Stewart Hosie (Dundee East), Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar), Angus Robertson (Moray), Mike Weir (Angus), Eilidh Whiteford (Banff & Buchan), Pete Wishart (Perth & Perthshire North).
They were joined in the lobby by Green MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion), Democratic Unionists Gregory Campbell (Londonderry East), Nigel Dodds (Belfast North), Rev William McCrea (Antrim South), Ian Paisley Junior (Antrim North), Jim Shannon (Strangford), David Simpson (Upper Bann) and the SDLP's Mark Durkan (Foyle), Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South) and Margaret Ritchie (Down South).
Independents Lady Sylvia Hermon (Down North) and Eric Joyce (Falkirk) and Respect's George Galloway (Bradford West) also voted to delay the review.
Mr Cameron was supported by 290 Tory MPs, the Alliance's Naomi Long and Nadine Dorries, who had the Conservative whip withdrawn after appearing on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! last year.
Two Tory MPs and two Labour MPs acted as tellers.
Tory MP Peter Bone (Wellingborough) attacked the Lib Dems pointing out that if you make a pledge, you have to keep it.
He said: "The only honourable thing the Liberal Democrats can do tonight when they do not vote with the Conservative members, is they should resign from the Government and cross the floor of the House.
"If they have any principle, any honesty with them, that is what they have to do."
He added: "The only issue the party had to deal with, would we allow a vote on AV in return for the Liberal Democrats supporting us on boundary reviews, that was the deal breaker.
"Our party kept to that deal, they've gone back, they are a disgrace and should be over there."
Comments(13)
Martha Gunn
says...
7:39pm Tue 29 Jan 13
As for the Lucas - well even a stopped and broken clock gets the time right on rare occasions. But does she keep it to Brighton or Brussels time? Must be confusing for her.
Morpheus
says...
7:45pm Tue 29 Jan 13
lordenglandofsussex
says...
8:13pm Tue 29 Jan 13
gusset snatcher wrote:I would reduce it to 0 and put the British Chiefs of staff of all the armed forces in charge running the country.
I would like to see it reduced further from 600 to 60, we don't need anything like this amount of parasitic expense fiddlers, typical of them Nicholas Soames, flouting road traffic laws 3 times in 4 years, a fat good for nothing earning triple what the majority are on for sitting on his backside working out when he's going to go on his next hunt and where they can find a horse strong enough to convey his huge bulk. And Caroline Lucas was only bothered about protesting against the cull on bagers because she thought they would cull her eyebrows too......... disgrace the lot of them.... expense fiddlers
I would rather have a military takeover than continue to allow the clowns of politics to run our country into dog excrement as they have done over the last few decades.
Valerie Paynter
says...
8:40pm Tue 29 Jan 13
Morpheus wrote:ooooh! Morpheus is a Tory, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah....
They wouldn't vote to make some of their number redundant and save the taxpayers' some money. We know who to vote out next time round.
Valerie Paynter
says...
8:50pm Tue 29 Jan 13
I reckon Caroline Lucas is more involved than many, however, and I'm respecting the way Simon Kirby seems to be shaping up.
HJarrs
says...
8:57pm Tue 29 Jan 13
lordenglandofsussex wrote:Well that just goes to show what a deluded extremist you are!
gusset snatcher wrote:I would reduce it to 0 and put the British Chiefs of staff of all the armed forces in charge running the country.
I would like to see it reduced further from 600 to 60, we don't need anything like this amount of parasitic expense fiddlers, typical of them Nicholas Soames, flouting road traffic laws 3 times in 4 years, a fat good for nothing earning triple what the majority are on for sitting on his backside working out when he's going to go on his next hunt and where they can find a horse strong enough to convey his huge bulk. And Caroline Lucas was only bothered about protesting against the cull on bagers because she thought they would cull her eyebrows too......... disgrace the lot of them.... expense fiddlers
I would rather have a military takeover than continue to allow the clowns of politics to run our country into dog excrement as they have done over the last few decades.
HJarrs
says...
9:01pm Tue 29 Jan 13
Did Weatherly or Kirby not vote?
Maxwell's Ghost
says...
9:08pm Tue 29 Jan 13
If the electorate had a real insight into how many of the UKs MPs operate they would be more than shocked.
In my 30 years experience as a journalist, I have often found that their wives/husbands and/or researchers are actually operating the seat, with the MP just the figurehead often without a clue to what's going on. No wonder some claim a salary.
I've met MPs in safe seats who rarely visit their seat and have very low appearances in the House yet still get elected with vast majorities.
Caroline and the MPs in this city have to work harder than in other areas as the seats have never been safe and I suggest that Caroline's is pretty rocky due to her unpopular Green council colleagues.
However, she is a shrewd lady so no doubt she will pop up as a chairman of some eco Quango organisation.
george smith
says...
10:09pm Tue 29 Jan 13
PorkBoat
says...
10:21pm Tue 29 Jan 13
gusset snatcher wrote:Kiddy fiddlers as well...
I would like to see it reduced further from 600 to 60, we don't need anything like this amount of parasitic expense fiddlers, typical of them Nicholas Soames, flouting road traffic laws 3 times in 4 years, a fat good for nothing earning triple what the majority are on for sitting on his backside working out when he's going to go on his next hunt and where they can find a horse strong enough to convey his huge bulk. And Caroline Lucas was only bothered about protesting against the cull on bagers because she thought they would cull her eyebrows too......... disgrace the lot of them.... expense fiddlers
gusset snatcher
says...
10:28pm Tue 29 Jan 13
ucas.com/blog/22-01-
2010-conservative-mo
tion-targets-van-dew
ellers-what-next.htm
l
Athena
says...
1:17am Wed 30 Jan 13
lordenglandofsussex wrote:Britain? Ruled by a military junta? Been there, done that.
gusset snatcher wrote:I would reduce it to 0 and put the British Chiefs of staff of all the armed forces in charge running the country.
I would like to see it reduced further from 600 to 60, we don't need anything like this amount of parasitic expense fiddlers, typical of them Nicholas Soames, flouting road traffic laws 3 times in 4 years, a fat good for nothing earning triple what the majority are on for sitting on his backside working out when he's going to go on his next hunt and where they can find a horse strong enough to convey his huge bulk. And Caroline Lucas was only bothered about protesting against the cull on bagers because she thought they would cull her eyebrows too......... disgrace the lot of them.... expense fiddlers
I would rather have a military takeover than continue to allow the clowns of politics to run our country into dog excrement as they have done over the last few decades.
gusset snatcher says...
7:20pm Tue 29 Jan 13