There has been an interesting response in the Tory party to Heidi Allen’s speech in which she criticised the tax credit changes. Many MPs are themselves worried about the changes, and didn’t disagree with what she had to say. But what has really riled them is the way in which she appeared to dismiss the Chamber as largely pointless – and that she spoke against the cuts having supported them once and then went onto vote with the government again on the motion before the House last night (though to be fair, she explained that she wouldn’t vote for the Opposition Day motion because she disagreed with its wording).
One MP who knows a thing or two about rebelling says ‘I couldn’t care less about her dissing the government: I do that too. But criticising the Chamber and saying it was all pointless is another matter.’
This was Allen’s criticism of the Chamber:
‘I have refrained from making a speech so far because sadly most days I feel that Members on both sides of the House are firmly married to their positions regardless of the debate, and so, frankly, why prolong the agony? Why sit in the Chamber for hours when I know I could be concentrating on helping my constituents with immediate needs now?’
The objections from her colleagues to these comments sound completely bizarre to anyone outside Parliament, but there is a significant number of MPs across the House who feel incredibly protective of the Commons.
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