News from Jeremy Browne MP
Posted by Jeremy Browne, MP for Taunton, at 12:17, Tue 17 October 2006:
This briefing is intended to help Taunton Lib Dem members keep in touch with Jeremy’s activities as MP.
At Westminster:
The House returned on Monday, 9 October 2006
Debates Westminster Hall As Deputy Foreign Affairs Spokesman, Jeremy spoke in a Westminster Hall debate concerning Developments in the Middle East on Wednesday 11 October.
Ten Minute Rule Bill On 28 June Jeremy presented a Ten Minute Rule Bill in the House of Commons in which he proposed to reduce the number of paid Government Ministers at Cabinet, Minister of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretary level from 83 to 60. He also used his speech to make a case for reducing the number of MPs.
The Bill is due for its second reading on Friday 20 October.
To read Jeremy’s speech, go to: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm060628/debtext/60628-0691.htm#06062866001582
At Conference
This year’s autumn conference was held in Brighton from 16 – 21 September.
Key debates included those on the new tax proposals, ‘Fairer, Greener, Simpler’, and the Meeting the Challenge policy review. For more information on these and other policy issues, visit the conference homepage at http://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/index.html
To see Ming’s Leader’s Speech, go to http://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/leaders-speech-menzies-campbell-brighton-2006.html
Jeremy had a busy week at Conference. Here’s a brief look at what he got up to:
Monday Jeremy spoke with David Laws MP at a fringe event sponsored by think-tank Reform, entitled ‘Liberal reform: Meeting the Challenge of improving public services and the economy in the rest of this decade.’
Jeremy met with the Director of Amnesty UK, Kate Allen, to discuss a range of issues including arms trafficking, rendition, indefinite detention and human rights. He also met with representatives from Saferworld, a charity which works to prevent armed conflict.
Tuesday Jeremy was on a panel including Vince Cable MP and Susan Kramer MP at the Observer Fringe event with Andrew Rawnsley. The panel discussion was entitled ‘Confronting Cameron: how to tackle the new-look Tories’ and it was a lively and well-attended debate.
Jeremy also led a training session for PPCs entitled ‘How to get selected’.
He later attended the launch of the new Centre Forum publication ‘Britain after Blair’. The book features essays from 14 Liberal Democrat MPs on a range of different subjects including taxation, health and foreign policy and includes an essay on police reform written by Jeremy.
Wednesday Jeremy spoke at a fringe event held by the Offender Training & Employment Programme, led by National Grid. The programme aims to cut youth re-offending by training young offenders for jobs in industry and has been highly successful. Its work has been cited as best practice by the Home Affairs Select Committee of which Jeremy is a member.
Jeremy also toured the Conference Exhibition Hall with other members of the Foreign Affairs Team.
In between, he caught up with members of the constituency party including Mick and Hope Humphreys, Adrian and Lorna Kellett, Iris Chown, Pauline Sturgess, and David Hughes. Please see the attached photograph.
Thursday Jeremy spoke on a policy motion on Human Rights in the UK, moved by David Heath MP, which was clearly passed by Conference. To see the text of the motion, go to http://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/agenda.html?id=710&navPage=conferenceagenda.html
In addition to these activities Jeremy also appeared on The Daily Politics, The Politics Show, the BBC World Service and ITV West.
In Taunton
Jeremy’s activities in Taunton have included
- a day working on Meare Green Farm in Stoke St. Gregory. - out on the beat with Wellington Police. - attended a Battle of Britain Commemorative Service at Priorswood.
Jeremy continued his tour of schools in the constituency, and has visited Dulverton Middle School, Kingsmead Community School, Blagdon Primary School, Stoke St. Gregory Primary School, Wellesley Park School and Churchstanton School
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