Alec has been successful in the ballot to introduce a Private Members’ Bill in this session of Parliament.
On the second sitting Thursday of a new Parliamentary session, MPs may enter a ballot to present a Private Members’ Bill to Parliament. Last week, Alec’s name was drawn, and preparations are now underway to draft a Bill to Parliament.
Private Members’ Bills are Public Bills introduced by MPs and Lords who are not government ministers. Though it can be difficult for them to pass into law under usual circumstances, they can often set the agenda in terms of Government policy-making, or can be adopted by the Government as official policy. For example, in 2013, Alec’s colleague James Wharton proposed the European Union (Referendum) Bill 2013-14, which gained Government support to pass through the House of Commons, though it was blocked in the House of Lords by Labour and Liberal Democrat peers who were opposed to allowing the British people a say on Europe.
Alec is reviewing options for a Bill based around his six-point plan for Elmet & Rothwell, a plan that voters in Elmet & Rothwell endorsed at the 2015 General Election.