PRESS RELEASE

Labour MP condemns the limited proposals of the Government’s Recall of MP’s Bill to complete Second Reading in the Commons today

Today, MP’s are debating Second Reading of the Government’s recall of MP’s Bill. The Bill has been strongly criticised by a range of campaigning organisations and falls well short of a genuine recall system which recent polling has shown is overwhelmingly supported amongst the British electorate surveyed.

The Government’s Recall of MP’s Bill as currently drafted provides that voters would only be able to remove an MP if fellow MP’s give permission to do so or if their MP is jailed. John McDonnell MP has criticised the government’s watered down proposals and supports moves to replace the Government’s trigger with a system voters themselves can initiate.

John McDonnell MP has today said:

‘The Government’s proposals fall short of providing a genuine system of recall for MP’s. At a time of increasing disillusionment among the electorate, I will be supporting Zac Goldsmith MP in amending Nick Clegg’s inadequate proposals with a system in which voters themselves can initiate the recall process.’