Today's Third Reading debate on David Maclean's Freedom of Information Amendment Bill has just concluded after several hours with a vote in favour from a total of 78 Labour MPs and 18 Tories.
Both main parties declared themselves to be “neutral” on the issue and many MPs deliberately chose to stay away and let the vote get carried to benefit them without their fingerprints all over it. Only the Liberal Democrats turned out in any numbers. Special commendation should go to MPs like Norman Baker, Mark Fisher, David Winnick and Richard Shepherd for their stirling work trying to oppose the Bill even though they were unsuccessful. We must now rely on the Lords to stop this grotesque piece of legislation becoming Law.
For those who feel particularly strongly, and want to write to their local MP to complain, or leave an angry voicemail on their House of Commons phone, the fingerprints of the following politicians were on the Bill in favour:
LIST OF SHAME: Bob Ainsworth (Coventry North East), Graham Allen (Nottingham North), Janet Anderson (Rossendale & Darwen), Adrian Bailey (West Bromwich West), Sir Stuart Bell (Middlesbrough), Clive Betts (Sheffield Attercliffe), Liz Blackman (Erewash), Nick Brown (Newcastle upon Tyne East & Wallsend), Colin Burgon (Elmet), David Cairns (Inverclyde), Alan Campbell (Tynemouth), Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley),David Clelland (Tyne Bridge), Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead), Wayne David (Caerphilly), Parmjit Dhanda (Gloucester), Brian Donohoe (Ayrshire Central), Frank Doran (Aberdeen North), Jim Dowd (Lewisham West), Angela Eagle (Wallasey), Maria Eagle (Liverpool Garston), Clive Efford (Eltham), Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar & Canning Town), Caroline Flint (Don Valley), Michael Foster (Worcester), Mike Hall (Weaver Vale), Tom Harris (Glasgow South), Doug Henderson (Newcastle upon Tyne North), John Heppell (Nottingham East), Keith Hill (Streatham), Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore), Kevan Jones (Durham North), Martyn Jones (Clwyd South), Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East), David Lammy (Tottenham), Bob Laxton (Derby North), Tom Levitt (High Peak), Ivan Lewis (Bury South), Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central), Tommy McAvoy (Rutherglen & Hamilton West), Stephen McCabe (Birmingham Hall Green), Ian McCartney (Makerfield), John McFall (Dunbartonshire West), Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes), Tony McNulty (Harrow East), Khalid Mahmood (Birmingham Perry Barr), David Marshall (Glasgow East), Gillian Merron (Lincoln), Alun Michael (Cardiff South & Penarth), Laura Moffatt (Crawley), Elliot Morley (Scunthorpe), George Mudie (Leeds East), Meg Munn (Sheffield Heeley), Denis Murphy (Wansbeck), James Plaskitt (Warwick & Leamington), Stephen Pound (Ealing North), Ken Purchase (Wolverhampton North East), John Robertson (Glasgow North West), Frank Roy (Motherwell & Wishaw), Joan Ryan (Enfield North), Martin Salter (Reading West), Jonathan Shaw (Chatham & Aylesford), Jimmy Sheridan (Paisley & Renfrewshire North), Sion Simon (Birmingham Erdington), Angela C Smith (Sheffield Hillsborough), Anne Snelgrove (Swindon South), John Spellar (Warley), Ian Stewart (Eccles), Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside), Dari Taylor (Stockton South), Gareth Thomas (Harrow West), Dr Desmond Turner (Brighton Kemptown), Claire Ward (Watford), Tom Watson (West Bromwich East), Dave Watts (St Helens North), Malcolm Wicks (Croydon North), Phil Woolas (Oldham East & Saddleworth), David Wright (Telford)
78 Labour:
18 Conservative: Peter Atkinson (Hexham), Simon Burns (Chelmsford West), Sir John Butterfill (Bournemouth West), James Duddridge (Rochford & Southend East), Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East), Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove), Greg Knight (Yorkshire East), Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East), David Maclean (Penrith & The Border), Bob Neill (Bromley & Chislehurst), Andrew Pelling (Croydon Central), Mark Pritchard (Wrekin, The), John Randall (Uxbridge), David Ruffley (Bury St Edmunds), David Tredinnick (Bosworth), Ann Widdecombe (Maidstone & The Weald), Lady Ann Winterton (Congleton), Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield).
You can write to your MP at:
[MP's name]
House of Commons
Westminster
LONDON, SW1A 0AA
Or ring the House of Commons switchboard on 0207 219 3000