Benyon Revealed as Extreme Reactionary (David Rendel)

Benyon Revealed as Extreme Reactionary

March 8, 2007 11:24 AM

David Rendel, Parliamentary Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats in West Berkshire, has criticized Newbury's MP, Richard Benyon, for his bizarre series of votes at the end of yesterday's House of Commons debate on the Reform of the House of Lords.

"This was one of the rare House of Commons occasions when the Whips were off and each MP was free to vote entirely as he or she wished", said Mr Rendel. "So for the first time we can see the real Mr Benyon, and judge what his values really are.

"He voted first of all for the House of Lords to have no elected members at all. Mr Benyon would prefer a House of Lords full of Cameron's cronies to a House of Lords chosen by the people. This disdain for the voters of West Berkshire and for the principles of democracy demonstrates that he is one of the House's extreme reactionaries, a throwback to the nineteenth century, when the rich landowners thought they were born to rule.

"When his attempt to keep democracy out of the House of Lords failed, My Benyon voted against 50% of the members being elected, against 60%, FOR 80%, and then against 100% - a series of votes which seems to defy all logic.

"The good news is that his rejection of our right to choose who governs us was decisively repudiated by the other MPs, who voted for a wholly elected House of Lords. This was what I myself supported as Newbury's MP in the last Parliament. I am only sorry that the defeat of this idea at that time has led to another 5 years wasted years with an unelected House of Lords. Meanwhile the appointment to the House of Lords of various major donors to the Labour and Conservative parties has brought the whole process of Government further into disrepute."