Currently, a bill is being passed through Parliament that will exempt MPs from the Freedom Of Information (FOI) act. Even though the FOI act was instigated by the Labour government (one of the few things they did well), Labour MPs are adding their weight to the bill which was submitted by former Tory whip David Maclean.
The reason being given for exempting MPs from the FOI is to prevent “fishing expeditions” by newspapers, as we clearly should not find out about MPs riding the expenses gravy train or employing their family members. That story hit a while ago, but it’s an excellent example of why MPs should not be exempt from the FOI act. Just to recap, your average MP claimed £118,000 in expenses last year, as found out by the Sunday Times via a, you guessed it, a FOI request.
 I’m not going to argue about the scale of expenses as they speak for themselves (it’s our money, after all), but in a time where MPs are less respected than estate agents, should MPs be even considering this?
Go and use WriteToThem to contact your MP and urge them not to support this ridiculous bill – if they still want a job come next election.
