Last Saturday on 21 July, the Rt Hon John McDonnell MP visited Hastings as part of a tour to visit “left behind towns”. It is Parliamentary Convention to alert the incumbent Member of Parliament if another MP chooses to visit their constituency on a public matter.
The Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP did not receive any notice in advance from John McDonnell or his office, and raised the matter as a Point of Order in Parliament.
Responding to her point of order, the Speaker of the House responded that it was: “A well established and important convention that Members should alert each other to prospective visits to the other’s constituency. This courtesy should be observed.”
The Speaker added: “The Rt Hon Lady has drawn attention to a breach and I hope that it will not be repeated. I thank her for what she has said.”
Amber said: “I was rather surprised to not receive any indication from the Member for Hayes and Harlington that he was coming to visit Hastings. I encourage all MPs to come visit our wonderful town – but if it is for a political visit, I hope they will let me know!
“On a more positive note, I hope the Shadow Chancellor discovered that our town has not been “left behind” and is in fact a vibrant and exciting place to live with fantastic heritage, culture, and character.”
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Notes to the editor:
- Amber raising the point of order with the Speaker can be viewed here: https://goo.gl/DKLkis