Baroness Jones calls out 'hypocrisy' as MPs, peers to be exempt from 'misleading the public' law
Baroness Jenny Jones has asked the government why MPs and peers are excluded from a proposed offence of misleading the public.
Green politicians’ parliamentary work has probably been overshadowed this week by the addition of a new member to their ranks: Hannah Spencer, who won a stunning victory to become Gorton and Denton’s new MP.
So, to get you back up to speed, here’s a wrap-up of key remarks in the House of Commons and the House of Lords in the week of February 23.
Baroness Jenny Jones: Hillsborough law
Jenny Jones asked the government on Thursday why the proposed criminal offence of misleading the public presently excludes MPs and members of the Lords.
The offence is part of the government’s Public Office (Accountability) Bill, also known as the Hillsborough law, which is currently in the Commons. Jones noted that the offence applies to the prime minister and other ministers and said there may be procedural and constitutional reasons for excluding other parliamentarians.
“But I wonder what the public will think. They will see a law that criminalises deception by nearly every category of public official except the very people who are making the bill become law,” she said in opening a debate on the issue.
“Will the government give serious consideration to removing [the] exclusion, so that the bill may stand as a testament to integrity rather than a monument to hypocrisy?”
Labour minister Baroness Alison Levitt told peers that parliamentarians were not included as they “do not directly take decisions on behalf of the state, nor do they have access to the kind of government information that would be available to ministers”. Judges are also excluded — but other offences contained in the bill will apply to them and to MPs and peers, she said.
Siân Berry MP: Royals and freedom of information
Siân Berry spoke in a Tuesday debate on a motion to compel the government to release documents concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 2001 appointment as a British trade envoy.
She told lawmakers that Green MPs supported the Liberal Democrat motion, which passed with the government’s backing, but added that the royal family is “sheltered from scrutiny in too many ways”.
Pointing to a legal provision that exempts public authorities’ communications with royals from freedom of information requests, Berry said: “It really is one rule for the rich and powerful and another for the rest of us.”
“I believe that that serious transparency loophole for royals must be closed,” the MP for Brighton Pavilion added, saying it may make it tougher to scrutinise any future appointments of royals as trade envoys and to obtain details when serious problems occur.
Baroness Natalie Bennett: Dual national passport rules
Natalie Bennett said new passport rules for British dual nationals were “extraordinarily discriminatory” against women on Thursday.
The rules require dual nationals to travel to Britain using a British passport. The government is temporarily allowing carriers to accept valid passports from many other countries if the holder also has an expired British passport issued in or after 1989. But personal details must match.
“Britons in Greece are among the those highlighting the fact that this is extraordinarily discriminatory against women,” Bennett said. Greece and other countries impose naming rules when issuing passports, with Athens requiring women “married to a Greek [to] have their maiden surname [included] as well”, she added.
Bennett asked Home Office minister Lord David Hanson whether an exception available in extraordinary circumstances would cover this situation, “where people have no choice but to have two different names on their passport”.
Hanson said he would “look at the specific instance… with regard to Greece, because that has not been drawn to my attention to date”, and contact Bennett directly. But he added that there are support mechanisms to ensure people “get proper access” to Britain during the transitional period.
Government guidance on name changes on official documents says the Home Office will “exceptionally consider” permitting people to use a different name if they can show they cannot alter their foreign-issued documents. This “may include married naturalised British citizens” where legal requirements mean they can’t change the family name displayed on their foreign passport.