What Are Private Members Bills, And Why Does Christopher Chope Keep Blocking Them?
Because he knows how to use parliamentary procedure to get around the system.
Christopher Chope MP is in the news again, for blocking another Private Member’s Bill (PMB) again. This time it was the Children Act 1989 (amendment — female genital mutilation) bill, which aims to protect girls from FGM using preventative care orders. How could anyone object to that? Well, Christopher Chope had his reasons. The sessions in which PMBs are read have become a bit of a farce seeing as he objects to most bills as a ‘matter of principle’.
A lot of people, in government, the media, and in the general public, are not happy about this because while he’s been allegedly making a point over his dissatisfaction with the procedure, he’s actually blocked some important legislation, including many bills related to women’s rights. So does he have a point? Let’s investigate.
Who is Christopher Chope?
He’s the Member of Parliament for Christchurch, in Dorset. It’s one of the safest Tory seats in the UK. He’s been a Conservative MP since 1983, aside from during the five-year Major government, when he lost his seat in Southampton Itchen. He’s anti-LGBT rights, anti-EU, and he doesn’t believe in global warming. He once referred to House of…
