The Conservative party has put forward the veteran objector Christopher Chope for membership of the modernisation select committee.
Chope, a staunch rightwinger and traditionalist, gained notoriety in 2018 for trying to block a proposal to make upskirting a specific criminal offence.
The proposal came in the form of a private member’s bill and had government support but Chope blocked it by shouting “object!”, sparking fury from other MPs including many Conservatives.
Chope has also objected to proposed laws to protect girls from female genital mutilation (FGM), plans to host a global women’s conference in the Commons, and to granting a posthumous pardon to Alan Turing over his conviction for “homosexual activity”.
He faced criticism in 2013 for referring to Commons staff as “servants”.
The decision to nominate Chope for the modernisation committee, which has been created by the Labour government to try to update parliamentary procedures and improve standards, has raised eyebrows.
A Labour spokesperson said in a statement: “Christopher Chope has never seen a law he hasn’t wanted to antiquate. Clearly the Tories haven’t learned anything from their election defeat and are refusing to change.
“He blocked a ban on upskirting, objected to the pardoning of WWII hero Alan Turing and opposed ending the abhorrent practice of female genital mutilation. This is not a man the Tories should be championing.”
The upskirting bill, FGM bill and the women’s conference were later given government support and were passed in the Commons. Chope has maintained that even if he supports their intent, he objects to such bills for procedural reasons or when he thinks they haven’t received enough scrutiny.
Chope presented more than 100 of his own private members’ bills in the last parliament, according to his website.
This year he tried to overturn a government-backed plan to make abducting cats a criminal offence, arguing that this should wait until requirements to microchip them came into force.
He was first elected as a Conservative MP in 1983 and has been a backbencher for the past two decades.
A spokesperson for the opposition chief whip said: “For this committee to work, it’s important that there is representation that reflects the breadth and experience of the house. As the Labour leader of the house said, she wanted to ‘bring the house together by consulting widely’ and ‘drawing on the diverse range of views and experiences’ represented in parliament. We have done just that.”
Unusually for a select committee, the modernisation committee is being chaired by a cabinet minister – the Commons leader, Lucy Powell – and its 14 members have been selected by party whips.
A government source said: “We take at face value Christopher Chope’s enthusiasm to join this committee to modernise parliament and look forward to him working constructively with committee members to drive higher standards and improve culture and working practices in parliament.”
Chope did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: theguardian.com
