MPs face being automatically barred from Parliament if they have been arrested on suspicion of a violent or sexual offence for the first time after a change in the rules.
Any MP who is arrested by police for a violent or sexual offence will now immediately face “risk-based exclusion” from the parliamentary estate.
The police will inform the Commons authorities when an MP has been arrested for such an offence, and a panel will then decide if the MP should be excluded.
Why do people keep inventing these rules and tools that they’d be horrified if a dictator used? For one of those things is that a would-be dictator is going to show up sometime….
“if they have been arrested on suspicion of a violent or sexual offence for the first time” But not if they’ve been arrested for a second or third time? How odd.
Anyway I’m fed up with this business of treating charge or arrest as proof of guilt. It isn’t proof of anything. Even the Scotnaz corruptocrats should be extended the assumption of innocence however implausible it may be. Or Angela whatsherface, the deputy leader of Labour.
Lucky it’s just those two offended – widen it to tax evasion/avoidance or other fraud and none of the buggers would get through the doors!
Request:
In 2012 reports confirmed 243 (43%) of Parliamentary MPs out of 650, had criminal records over a wide range of offences and included “prison terms” in some cases.
What is the situation in 2018 after the last General Election of 2016?
Response:
IPSA does not hold any information relating to criminal offences MPs have been charged with or convicted of, as they are not obliged to disclose this information to us.
This concludes our response to your request.
https://www.theipsa.org.uk/freedom-of-information/2018-19/cas-130967
They really don’t want us to know do they?
p.s. I really don’t like this idea at all either.
This would seem to open up an easy way to nobble MPs.
I look forward to the first MP successfully claiming that his chance of a fair trail has been prejudiced by the action of a
star chamber“panel” and the case getting thrown out. The exploding heads in the usual places will be a sight to behold.Any MP found being a MP “without due care and attention in a built up area after dark”, should be disbarred.
And then executed.
Presumption of innocence anyone? Barring someone from Parliament on the basis of an accusation alone is banana republic stuff.
I once got a ticket for cycling the wrong way down a one-way street. I argued that (i) it was a new route to work and I hadn’t known, and (ii) it was one-way the counter-intuitive way and the Council was being bloody stupid.
The bobby muttered his sympathy but said he had to give me the ticket anyway. Ten quid, if I remember rightly.
And a few months later the bloody Council reversed the one-way direction!
Now then, am I barred from the House of Commons?
@TBH
That’s the idea. Imagine if a new political party managed to score a couple of seats and upset the coy consensus. There would have to be a way of neutralising them. I’m sure Metplod could be relied upon to arrest “on suspicion of” and then release without charge, thereby allowing the star chamber to swing into action. I’m also sure that Al Beeb could be persuaded to give airtime to the “panel” — which I’m sure would protect itself with some privilege so that its victims couldn’t sue — allowing them to smear their political opponents with impunity. See also: Jan 6th hearings across the pond.
* cosy, not coy
@Adolff – apparently 27% of the UK public has a criminal record, so way below MP levels. Still, 27% seems remarkably high to me. No doubt I’ve led a sheltered life…. Who here has a criminal record? (motoring offences generally don’t count)
banana republic stuff
Banana republics might exercise power more capriciously, but you really need a modern, big state ‘democracy’ to really put the screws on the populace. After all, when the despot has his harem, palace and gold Rolls Royce sorted out, he is largely content. (add CS Lewis quote as needed…)
Marius: ’Who here has a criminal record?’
I think I might have a Chris De Burgh LP somewhere in the loft, but since I don’t have anything to play it on anymore, can I get a pass?
Oh Julia, your blog serms to have disappeared.
Anything wrong ?
Cock replaces cake as the approved way of nobbling inconvenient MPs.
@Ottokring: seems to be ok to me?
JuliaM @ 8.23, get rid rid of the vinyl or get rid of the turntable? OK, Man on the Line will have to go…….
Marius
“@Adolff – apparently 27% of the UK public has a criminal record”
I’ve tried DDG’ing briefly – is there a source for that at all? And I’m guessing that’s skewed quite a but towards chaps, which would make it a horribly high percentage? Doesn’t include minor motoring offences, CCJs etc.
This is the nearest I could find?
https://unlock.org.uk/policy-issues/key-facts/
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? By all means, suspend or deselect if found guilty, but shirley, the proper thing to do is wait for a verdict. What happens to that suspension or deselection if proved innocent? What value of ruined reputations? Why treat them differently, for instance, to the unnamed residents of Rotherham, suspected, or arrested, for grooming of children, but who were allowed to carry on as normal until they were found guilty and only then named. I feel that there are very few truly ‘honourable’ members of parliament, but they should still all be treated according to the law.
Julia
Had to go out after my comment.
Yes it is back now. Must have been a Blogspot glitch.
Phew.
@Penseivat
Taxi drivers are a good comparison in some ways – not an employee of the licensing authority, but the authority may have safely concerns about allowing them to continue in their work. @jgh will know more but Google suggests it’s “charges awaiting trial” rather than a mere arrest which affects an application, although “If an applicant has, on more than one occasion, been arrested or charged, but not convicted, for a serious offence which suggests he could be a danger to the public, consideration should be given to refusing the application. Such offences would include serious violent offences and serious sex offences.”
https://www.horsham.gov.uk/licensing/taxi-and-private-hire/taxi-and-private-hire-licensing-criminal-convictions-policy
This will only last as long as it takes for the first vibrant or alphabet MP to be arrested.
+1 JuliaM for the Chris de Burgh reference. I too have that vinyl with the turntable to play it, but t is in storage 1500 miles away.
Truth time: when I bought my first ever hiding unit and one of those newfangled CD thingies, it was ‘Into The Light’ by Chris DeBurgh and I can still remember my utter astonishment at the quality of the sound.
Still have the CD but again, nothing to play it on.
Isn’t this just a variety of “we want more ways to ignore the electorate?”
You can vote for anyone you want, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to actually let them in to disturb their settled interests.
And given that a mere accusation is enough to get you barred..
This is even beyond banana republic..
Has to breach the Equality Act without an equality impact assessment being done first surely. Jess, Stella: have you done that? Have you?
Men are waaay more likely to be arrested, i’m guessing the prison ratio is over 10 to 1, black and asian but not chinese men probably 15 to 1 compared to women of the same protected characteristic, and arrest ratios likely to be in proportion, guessed numbers of course but those MPs not even doing that assessment, sheesh, how lazy.
“This will only last as long as it takes for the first vibrant or alphabet MP to be arrested.”
That’s why there’s a panel not automatic suspension so they can decide who the rule applies to
‘That’s why there’s a panel not automatic suspension so they can decide who the rule applies to’
Yes BniC!!