Lord David Cameron should be questioned by MPs in Commons, committee suggests
Lord David Cameron should be questioned by MPs in the House of Commons, according to a report from the chamber’s procedure committee.
Questions about how elected politicians could hold the appointed foreign secretary account have abounded since he was given the job by Rishi Sunak in November 2023.
The procedure committee, which is made up of 17 MPs, most of whom are Conservatives, began looking into the matter almost straight away.
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The committee has now recommended that Lord Cameron should be able to be questioned by MPs in the Commons, after concerns he would not be able to answer questions from politicians representing the public, especially at a time with various foreign crises.
But, much as having a senior minister in the Lords is somewhat reminiscent of a bygone era, the proposal put forward still refuses to break some parliamentary traditions.
The committee says that Lord Cameron should answer questions not from the despatch box, as MPs do, but from an area of the Commons chamber known as the bar.
The House of Commons bar can be seen as the white line in the foreground. Pic: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
This is a white line – and sometimes a physical bar – that marks the official entry of the chamber, and which guests and visitors cannot go past.
The report notes that up until the early 1800s, it was common for many witnesses, including lords, to give evidence from the bar.
This included the likes of First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Melville in 1805 and the Duke of Wellington in 1814.
But this became less popular with the advent of select committees. The last non-MP to appear at the bar was journalist John Junor in 1957, who was asked to apologise for an article he had written.
In the examples in the 19th century, peers were given a chair to sit on, but had to stand when answering questions.
The committee suggested this plan of action, as having ministers in the Lords use the despatch box like an MP “would risk blurring the boundaries between the two Houses”.
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It also rejected ideas like having Lord Cameron answer questions in other parts of parliament, for example committee rooms or Westminster Hall, as they are too small.
These venues would have limited the number of MPs able to question Lord Cameron – and the committee believes “it is important that all MPs can participate in scrutiny of Lords secretaries of state”.
They added that the scrutinising of Lord Cameron should take place as often as all other secretaries of state.
Alex Burghart, who is a junior minister in the Cabinet Office, told the committee that having lords appear in the Commons may lead to the normalisation of senior ministers being appointed in the lords – and maybe even prime ministers.
Normally, ministers in the Lords are only junior in their department.
As such, the committee made clear in its recommendations that the suggestions for Lord Cameron “are aimed at addressing the issue the house is currently faced with and should not set a precedent for the future”.
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The Lords would need to vote to allow Lord Cameron to appear in the Commons, and the committee suggested that MPs vote on a motion allowing him to appear in their chamber until the next election.
As part of their report, the Committee invited all MPs to submit evidence.
They received 131 responses.
Of these, 88.5% wanted secretaries of state in the Lords to be more accountable to the Commons.
The most popular venue suggested by these MPs was select committees – 69.4% – followed by Westminster Hall – 68.5% – and then the Commons – 63.9%.
More than half (53.3%) wanted Lord Cameron to appear every month, while 32.4% thought he should answer questions only when needed for specific business.
In the additional comments section, various MPs said secretaries of state or those in senior government roles should not sit in the Lords.
However, some MPs seemed less keen on MPs asking questions of Lord Cameron – saying that Andrew Mitchell, who is a junior Foreign Office minister in the Commons, can do a good enough job.
They also raised concerns about the separation of the two houses.
And one MP wrote: “This is none of our business – which is why you have had nearly zero response.”
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Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the procedure committee, said: “As elected representatives, members of the House of Commons have a duty to question the foreign secretary. This is especially pressing in light of the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“The committee has considered various mechanisms of scrutiny and taken the views of members, while bearing in mind the practicalities of each proposal.
“We have ultimately concluded that all MPs should be afforded the opportunity to question secretaries of state who sit in the House of Lords, with the Commons chamber providing the best forum to do so.
“We hope the government implements our proposals as quickly as possible, so that MPs can best scrutinise all secretaries of state on behalf of their constituents.”
A government spokesperson said: “We will carefully consider the committee’s report and will respond in due course.”
Aston in Birmingham can’t become a “no-go area” for Jews, a senior cabinet minister has told Sky News, amid controversy over fans of an Israeli football club being barred from attending a match next month.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said he “profoundly” disagrees with the “approach” taken by a local MP who started a petition calling for fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv to be banned from the Aston Villa game, saying it “cannot be the basis on which our country operates”.
But while he said the government is “working with the relevant authorities” to overturn the move, he can not guarantee it will happen.
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Villa Park. PA
Alongside politicians of all parties, Sir Keir Starmer has strongly criticised the decision, calling it “wrong”, and the government has said it will work with local authorities to ensure both sets of fans can attend.
Speaking to Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Miliband said work is still ongoing.
“We are working with the relevant authorities on this issue, he said. “I think the principle here is we do not want a situation where people of a particular faith or from a particular country can’t come to a football match because of their faith, because of where they’re coming from.”
Asked if Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will definitely be able to attend the game, the minister replied: “I’m not going to say come what may, but I’m giving you a very, very clear indication of what we are working towards, which is that, you know, the fans from both teams can attend the match.”
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Phillips put to Mr Miliband that a petition to ban their fans, launched by local independent MP Ayoub Khan, has been signed by nearly 4,000 people. It states the upcoming game is “not a normal match” because the Israeli fans would be arriving in “Aston, a diverse and predominantly Muslim community”.
Asked if Aston is now a no-go area for Jews, Mr Miliband replied: “No and it can’t be. And I’m very, very clear about that.
“I believe we as a country, we pride ourselves on our diversity, but also our tolerance and our hatred of prejudice, frankly. And so we cannot have a situation where any area is a no-go area for people of a particular religion or from a particular country.”
Asked if the local MP was justified in what he wrote, Mr Miliband replied: “No. I profoundly disagree with that approach, with what is being said in that petition, because that cannot be the basis on which our country operates.”
This isn’t how the vast majority of people in the UK operate, he added. “So let’s not take this petition and say it paints a picture of our country.”
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Top Tory criticises ‘sectarian politics’
His Tory counterpart, Claire Coutinho, was highly critical of the petition, telling Phillips: “I think politicians need to have the courage to name some of the problems that this country is facing. And one of those problems is political Islam.
“Now, that’s not to say the moderate Muslim community are a problem in Britain, but we have seen in the past extremist Islamism […] and now we are seeing a movement of people – last election, five MPs elected – simply on sectarian politics. That may be higher at the next election.
“So we have to grip this, and part of that is dealing with rising antisemitism. But part of that is dealing with integration.”
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Tory calls out ‘lack of integration’
The senior Tory MP described the ban overall as a “disgrace”, saying: “I think the message that is being sent to Jewish people in this country is that they’re not welcome here.
“This has always been a safe haven for Jewish people, and I think to say that we could not possibly police Israeli Jewish fans to watch a football match safely is reinforcing that message that Jews are not welcome here. And I think that is wrong.”
Match classified as ‘high risk’
In a statement on Thursday, Aston Villa said Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – which issues safety certificates for every match at the ground – had “formally written to the club and UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend” the fixture at Villa Park on 6 November, as it had been classified as “high risk”.
The club said police had advised of “public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night” – a statement that triggered outrage across the political spectrum.
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The move has been condemned by political and Jewish leaders, including Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar, who called it a “shameful decision”.
The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “perverse” to ban away fans because police can’t guarantee their safety, adding: “Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors.”
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Sky News has contacted Mr Khan for a response to the comments made this morning.
Former Labour leader and now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn defended his fellow member of the Independent Alliance group in parliament yesterday, writing on X: “Ayoub Khan has been subject to disgusting smears by MPs and journalists, who have wilfully misrepresented his views in order to stoke anger and division.”
He added that he and his colleagues “diligently represent people of all faiths and none in their communities”.
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