George Osborne replies on death of Vultures Bill
On Friday, the bill was blocked from passing its third reading in the House of Commons when a single Conservative MP shouted 'object'. Backbencher Christopher Chope MP was seen conferring with two Conservative Party whips (in charge of making sure MPs vote with the party line), as the objection was shouted. In response, we asked for an urgent clarification of the Conservative Party's position, as they had previously said they support the bill, following amendments at Committee stage.
Today, Jubilee Debt Campaign received this response from the Shadow Chancellor's office:
Thank you for getting back in touch about the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill.
I assure you that we believe this to be a well-intentioned bill that addresses an important aspect of the debt issue, and we supported it at its Second Reading and subsequent Committee Stage in the House of Commons. The Conservative frontbench did not object to further progress of the Debt Relief Bill on Friday 12 March 2010, nor in any way collude with the objection. The Conservative frontbench have worked in a constructive manner to provide proper scrutiny to this bill in the short time available.
It is unfortunate that the Government have tried to get this bill through in such a hasty and last-minute manner, which makes it vulnerable to objections from backbenchers like that which was made on Friday. The Bill is due to be debated this Thursday and we are willing to co-operate with the Government to allow this Bill to progress on that day.
We welcome the Bill receiving full scrutiny as it continues through the Parliamentary process. This detailed scrutiny is important to ensure that the complex legislation will work as intended and to minimise the risk of negative consequences for developing countries. Naturally we will await the outcome of this particular Bill before announcing any further legislation on the subject.
The Conservative Party's commitment to tackling global poverty is clear - that's why we've committed to increase British aid to 0.7% of national income by 2013. This extra money will help poor countries invest in the fight against killer diseases, get more children into school, and sow the seeds of wealth creation and sustainable economic growth.
Yours sincerely,
Emily Clifton
Office of the Shadow Chancellor
