Monday
It does seem ridiculous in the current health climate but to do my job I am required to travel to Westminster as the previous facility that allowed me to take part remotely has been removed and so it’s back to crowded rooms and packed voting lobbies. What could possibly go wrong? There were six votes in total today, for three of them I was a teller and therefore I don’t get to vote. I wasn’t alone in not voting to oppose the Tories welfare cap as only 14 Labour MPs opposed, and the rest abstained except for one that felt so strongly about it that she voted for it ! On nights like this food is grabbed whenever one can and the public impression of MPs enjoying fine dining at subsidised restaurants plays out as an unholy scramble for chips and beans in a mouse infested canteen. The last vote was just after 10pm and I scurried away through the London rain to check in to my hotel.
Tuesday
My select committee started at 9:30 and we only had one witness. Lord Evans is the Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and his remit, amongst other areas, covers elected members. His career was spent in the security services, initially in counter espionage and later in counter terrorism. In 2007 he was appointed director general of MI5. I am currently reading John Le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, so it was hard not to see George Smiley sitting in front of me. He was an excellent witness and I pressed him on how the Prime Minister can be held to account for his disgraceful behaviour when the Prime Minister is the person who is supposed to impose the ministerial code. There was an Urgent Question in the house regarding the party held in the Downing Street Garden to which 100 people were invited during a period when the rest of us were in lockdown. The Paymaster General was despatched to defend the indefensible. I was taken and reiterated my view that the Prime Minister has demeaned his position and should be held to account by his colleagues. Last votes were at 7pm.
Wednesday
First meeting of the day was with the Finance and Economy team. We liaise regularly with our Holyrood colleagues to ensure our voice is consistent and focused on issues affecting Scotland and our constituents. Energy is definitely high on the agenda with the Conservative Party’s nuclear fixation undermining clean, green renewables. Unfortunately, this week the Labour Party have by en large supported the Conservative Government on this issue, with only six Labour MPs voting against the Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill at the third reading while 148 voted for it. Scotland’s energy future should be within the clean, green, renewable sector and only through sufficient investment and a singular determination will we get there. Westminster does not share this view.
Thursday
I made it back into Inverclyde last night which makes it easier to do my constituency work. My office continues to adhere to Covid guidelines but with suitable hand washing, mask wearing and working within a rota we can utilise the office and support each other. Unfortunately, we cannot open the doors to the public yet. We have witnessed a huge increase in cases with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). There have been several issues which seem to be resolved but the DVLA is now working through a large backlog. In the evening I attended the Inverkip and Wemyss Bay community council via zoom.
Friday
The Elections Bill is back in the House of Commons on Monday, and I hope to speak to several amendments. To help me to do this in a constructive fashion I read through all the marshalled amendments today, never an easy read but fortunately my select committee also produced a report and recommendations therefore re-reading that helped enormously. Normally a full day given over to reading is a pleasure. Today it was definitely challenging. On the upside I have managed another week of daily lateral flow tests, all negative.
Ronnie Cowan MP 