Harman blunder in answer to Plaid MP question

The Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, has stumbled once again in responding to a question posed by Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd.

During this afternoon’s (Tuesday) Questions on the publication of Independent Parliamentary Standards authority bill, Mr Llwyd questioned Ms Harman on whether a statutory Code of Conduct could in fact be introduced without being subject to full Bill to introduce it.

Earlier Ms Harman had responded to another questioner by saying that the current Code of Conduct produced by the Standards and Privileges Committee had full statutory authority – a claim that is completely false.

Commenting on Ms Harman’s blunder, Plaid’s Elfyn Llwyd MP said:

“I know that the Prime Minister had set his mind on introducing a statutory Code of Conduct which would have had serious implications for Parliamentary privilege. It would have been difficult, if impossible, to enforce and would have opened up the floodgates to anyone who with negative intentions, would wish to bring MPs before the court.

“He has been thwarted in this view, and now the Leader of the House pretends that the Code of Conduct recently issued by the Standards and Privileges Committee is a statutory code. That is completely untrue.

“It would be necessary to legislate to introduce a statutory code in the first instance, and I am a little surprised that the Leader of the House could not understand that point.

“I will not be surprised if I receive another letter from Ms Harman apologising for being unintentionally misled.”

This is not the first time that Ms Harman has stumbled in response to a question from Mr Llwyd. On a previous occasion, Ms Harman incorrectly answered a question about the origins and reasons for nominating Sir Fred Goodwin for a peerage. The Leader of the House stressed, mistakenly, that the selection had nothing to do with services to banking. Ms Harman apologised to Mr Llwyd on realising her error.