CONDUCT OF THE HON. MEMBER FOR BETHNAL GREEN AND BOW

Early day motion 1362, tabled 12 January 2006 by Martin Linton (Labour). Signed by 31 members.

That this House expresses its dismay at the decision of the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow to absent himself from his constituency and from Parliament by appearing on a national reality television programme Celebrity Big Brother; notes that the attempt by The Guardian newspaper to raise an enquiry on behalf of a constituent went unanswered by his office other than by his press adviser who, not surprisingly, could not help the constituent; welcomes the internet protest campaign entitled `Get Back to Work, George' which calculates that his absence has cost the British taxpayer over £1,134; further notes that he has missed a debate on the Crossrail Bill, which will have direct consequences for thousands of his constituents, as well as numerous other debates; and further notes the message on his party's website which, under the title Cultural Events, says, `We must now reach out to people who do not go to political meetings... however, this must be done with the utmost subtlety'.

Signatures by party: Labour 27, Conservative 3, Liberal Democrat 1.