Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard in Commons bribe row
Friday 24th June 2011, 12:08PM BST.
SHROPSHIRE MP Mark Pritchard today claimed that Prime Minister David Cameron offered him a job in a bid to get him to abandon a debate over banning wild animals in circuses.
The Wrekin MP said he was offered “incentive and reward” by government whips if he backed down – and claimed when that attempt failed, he was “threatened” by Downing Street.
It comes after MPs agreed to a ban in the Commons last night, following a motion put forward by the Shropshire MP.
A Downing Street source played down the claims and said the backbencher had given an “overblown” account of what had happened.
But Mr Pritchard said he would not be “bought off”.
It is believed he was offered a non-ministerial role at the Foreign Office.
In an open show of defiance last night, he said he would not be “bullied” and told of his row with the whips and Downing Street to the Commons.
In extraordinary scenes, he told MPs: “I was offered incentive and reward on Monday, then it was ratcheted up last night when I was threatened.
“I had a call from the Prime Minister’s office directly, and I was told unless I withdraw this motion, that the Prime Minister himself said that he would look upon it very dimly indeed.”
“Well, I have a message for the whips and for the Prime Minister.
“I may just be a little council house lad from a very poor background, but that background gives me a backbone, it gives me a thick skin, and I am not going to be kowtowed by the whips or even the Prime Minister of my country on an issue I feel passionately about, that I have conviction about.
“We need a generation of politicians with a bit of spine – not jelly.
“This is an issue that I have campaigned on for many years.
“I will not kowtow to that sort of unnecessary, disproportionate pressure.”
MPs agreed to a ban in the use of wild animals in circuses.
Mr Pritchard’s motion was passed by the Commons without a vote, and while not legally binding, in-creases pressure on the Government to act.
By London Reporter Sunita Patel
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This matter should be investigated. We cannot tollerate bribes and lies especially if Prime Minister is involved
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Your a good MP Mark but I’m surprised you haven’t realised how downing street works yet, not as ruthless as the weasels who ran it under labour, but still watch your back!
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I’m glad the ban has gone through, but curious as to why Cameron put so much pressure on MPs. He’d already had to admit that he had made an untrue statement when he said that a similar ban in Austria was being challenged in the courts (it wasn’t) and that circus owners would be able to take the government to court under Human Rights legislation (they wouldn’t).
Seeing as the vote was passed unanimously it would appear that he badly misjudged the mood of parliament.
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Here in Spain bribery and corruption is, to some extent, open, and expected.
In Britain bribery and corruption exist, probably just as much in all spheres, but is done far more surreptitiously.
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I’m sure Mark Pritchard will be grateful for your wise advice, Flag, especially if you are good enough to explain your qualifications for giving it.
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And why kath would I give my qualifications to you?!? Perhaps a constructive comment from yourself may assist, but do enclose your full cv dear.
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Iron flag, you really did it! You know how protective Kath is of her beloved Labour Party! You failed to be suitably servile towards The Great Party and the erstwhile Dear Leader! For shame!
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How’s life on planet La-la Matt?
Which little green man told you I was a Labour party supporter? And what’s that got to do with my raised eyebrows at Flag’s pontificating to Pritchard about how ‘downing street’ works?
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Don’t be silly, I don’t care. But if you presume to advise an MP in such a lofty tone, better tell him why you imagine he should listen to you.
And ‘dear’ is the sad last resort of a man desperately trying to find a way to patronise a woman.
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matt, i’ll protect the tories no matter what do, just ignore him kath
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There is certain to be some more on this, Channel 4 FactCheck said during the debate on Twitter they were investigating the link with Amazing Animals who are david Cameron’s Witney constituents.
Also the only Tory to speak vehemently against the motion was Andrew Rosindell MP & it now turns out, as shown in the Ch4 blog, he has links with Great British Circus & appears to use HoC notepaper for his letter of support in GBC publications. It seems he did not declare this ‘interest’ when in the Chamber.
http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-answers-needed-over-mps-contribution-to-circus-debate/7034
For me the interesting point is the Government insisted on a 3 line Whip for this debate, even though it wasn’t a Bill. As tempers rose in the Chamber the Government Whips appeared to get cold feet realising they would be shown to be defeated when it came to the vote, ie Jim Paice the Govt. Minster would have to vote No, so the Whip was withdrawn part way through. You can read this in the following Hansard script at 4.27pm.
Link from Twitter @BFFoundation: Here is the transcript from yesterday’s debate in the House of Commons #circusban http://bit.ly/je0oid
Note: this was only a debate so the ban on using wild animals in circus’ is not Law, yet.
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It does my heart good to know that there are still Honourable Members in and of our Parliament who have the backbone and bottle to stand up for what they know is right and to speak out against cruelty and suffering.
Mark Pritchard may have sacrificed his future career, depending upon whether or not David Cameron ignores those cohorts of clowns who number ten, creeps and crawlers who frequent and infest number ten and bites the bullet of integrity.
Mark Pritchard should be promoted and ‘Dimly Dave’ needs to recognise and publicly acknowledge the gentleman’s courage. There’s hope for the Conservatives yet, if he does, but if David Cameron fails to Honour Mark Pritchard, then he lets himself down, as well as our Parliament.
Personally I’m very proud that Mark Pritchard spoke out so gallantly. He’s made history.
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Good on Pritchard for being unswerving with his beliefs. Even though his party aren’t my first choice, I do recognise a good action.
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I’m not surprised Mr Pritchard turned down the job offer. Hasn’t he already got one ?
Anywho, if animals are banned in circuses, there’s going to be a lot of vacancies in the ‘circus’ that is the houses of parliament.
See that? Satire that is, not lost it just yet.
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Well done Mark. How refreshing to see a politician standing up for what he passionately believes in instead of blindly following party guidelines.
We need more people like yourself who feel strongly enough to go with their feelings. I don’t want this to sound like something a a communist supporter would say ( I am not) but its time we all stood up and were counted. Well done Mark you have my deepest respect.
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Why would any good and sane person agree to the abuse of wild animals? Animals should be left exactly where they are born and allowed to live their lives as nature intended. it is quite odd that anyone should argue against the ban of wild animals being used for human entertainment. Odd and stinking of dirty deads. What man would question the abolishment of horrible cruelty towards animals? A vile and greedy man i think.
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My MP, Cotswolds is in the “jelly-mould” section of the Cameroons. How nice to see an honest politician even if I wish Mr Pritchard had got his talons into Mr Cameron about the destruction of our armed forces whilst starting yet another war. If he loses the Falklands, and he will, he will be dead meat.
I think government whips should not be allowed, after all we vote for an individual not just a Party and expect the MP to uphold our beliefs.
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Mark Pritchard for Prime Minister. Yessssssssssss.The only good thing to come out of Telford.
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“I may just be a little council house lad from a very poor background, but that background gives me a backbone, it gives me a thick skin, and I am not going to be kowtowed by the whips or even the Prime Minister of my country on an issue I feel passionately about, that I have conviction about.
“We need a generation of politicians with a bit of spine – not jelly.”
Mark Pritchard is absolutely right. Well done for standing up to these vested interests. Mark has risked alienating the whips and even David Cameron on a point of principle. In so doing he has retained his dignity and self-respect, which are worth more than political advancement within the Tory Party. Nevertheless, Mark remains an influential figure within the 1922 committee. I suspect that Mark will be around long after David Cameron is gone.
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You get the feeling that David Cameron thinks he and his pals can run the country on the same lines as those when they were all at school.
Being part of a pseudo military machine can be comfortable(when you are at the top) and often get results but will not if any of your forces didn’t get the same sort of schooling and were maybe allowed/encouraged to think for themselves.
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Bit strange Pritchard is such a big supporter of fox hunting if he cares so much about wild animals.
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Not strange at all Kath two very different issues one is pest control the other is getting an elephant to stand on its head.Bit like saying it was strange to get the duke of Edinburgh to be president of the wwf when he is a fan of shooting, fishing,hunting etc etc both work hand in hand that is why he was asked and of course i position in life .
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“Bit like saying it was strange to get the duke of Edinburgh to be president of the wwf when he is a fan of shooting, fishing,hunting etc etc”
Exactly. Not even an ‘i’ position in life explains that. Did you go to school, by the way?
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Kath old girl I am sure you are well aware it was a simple typo error.Possibly may seem strange to the bunny hugging hairy faced and hairy legged feminists out there but hey ho.
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This Telegraph article from 2005: http://xrl.us/bku3i3 leaves me thinking that Mr Pritchard’s love of animals doesn’t extend far beyond the thirty-odd wild animals in three circuses…..
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Perhaps the reticence to ban animals in circuses has been influenced by a previous Tory PM… John Major son of a circus acrobat….?
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MP deserves to be taken behind bike shed and given a good hiding!
What did I say yesterday!!!
[You get the feeling that David Cameron thinks he and his pals can run the country on the same lines as those when they were all at school.
Being part of a pseudo military machine can be comfortable(when you are at the top) and often get results but will not if any of your forces didn’t get the same sort of schooling]
Today….
[Former Army officer Tobias Ellwood made the comment about Mr Pritchard.
The parliamentary aide to Defence Secretary Liam Fox and MP for Bournemouth East said: “He’s the kind of bloke who deserves to be taken behind the bike shed and given a good hiding.”]
“CRIPES! What an oink!”
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It’s ‘Cripes, what an oik’, not ‘oink’. We don’t imagine commoners to be swine, you know old girl. Jerry is a swine. Pritchard is a rotter. You are a bolshy prol.
Glad to have cleared that up.
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OIK AHH a word occasionally over used by me but normally justified. Must admit though perhaps eve meant oink, but I am sure Kath will be along soon to put us all on the correct path.
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