March 2017
When I became your Member of Parliament I took the decision that as a rule I would not sign Early Day Motions, even if I did agree with them in principle or spirit. EDMs are highly costly to the taxpayer, costing around £1 million per year to administer. As many as two to three thousand EDMs are tabled per parliamentary session and they often have little or no effect. EDMs serve as petitions that only MPs can sign, and so have now been superseded by other mechanisms such as e-petitions, which can be signed by everyone. I feel I can more effectively represent you by hearing from you directly, and taking your representations straight to my colleagues in Government where appropriate. So do please let me hear your voice so I can speak up for you, rather than asking me to add my signature to a toothless motion.
