Three More Labour MPs to Stand Down

Three More Labour MPs to Stand Down

Iain Dale 10:51 AM

So, three Labour MPs have announced today that they are to stand down at the next election - David Chaytor, Patricia Hewitt and Beverley Hughes. It is becoming clearer by the day that the new Parliament will probably have more new MPs in it than ever before. Some believe that more than 50% will be MP virgins. That is both a plus and a minus. It's a plus because it presents a real opportunity for things to be done differently, with a whole new intake acting in concert to ensure it happens. The negative is that a Parliament with little experience is a Parliament which might make some big mistakes. All newly elected MPs benefit from guidance from the grey beards (except on expenses!), but it looks as if few of them will be left.

Meanwhile, ConHome reports that selections for the dozen Conservative seats now available will not commence until September or October. I think this is due to the deluge of new people applying to be on the candidates list. They all need to be processed before then, which presents a huge logistical challenge.