I have been working with colleagues including Zac Goldsmith MP to improve the Recall Bill. The power to recall MPs needs to rest with their employers, the voters, and we must trust them. It cannot be right that a Member of Parliament convicted of a serious offence, including one that warrants a custodial sentence, can be allowed to remain as an elected representative.
Equally, we need to safeguard against vexatious complaints against MPs who are merely deploying their political judgement. As all MPs know, these judgements are not always popular.
Before I became an MP in 2010 enormous damage was done to our political system in this country by the misbehaviour of some MPs over their outrageous expenses claims. It has fallen to this intake of MPs to begin to restore trust and the Recall Bill, while not yet perfect, is an important step in the right direction.
Amendments to this Bill which have been drafted by the committee I have sat on will be voted on in the House of Commons next week, and I hope to speak in the debate again.