UK's culture minister Morgan joins exodus from parliament

By Kate Holton

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Nicky Morgan is seen outside Downing Street in London, Britain October 24, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's culture minister Nicky Morgan said on Wednesday she would not stand as a candidate in the next election, the latest high-profile lawmaker to cite a toxic political atmosphere as a reason to join the exodus from parliament.

 

The 2016 vote to leave the European Union has deeply divided the country and sparked vicious scenes both inside and outside the House of Commons where lawmakers are routinely confronted by angry protesters as they enter the parliamentary estate.

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to hold an election on Dec. 12, after parliament held up passage of his Brexit deal with the EU, has triggered a wave of resignations or retirements in the House of Commons, including many centrist politicians from his own party who have said the time has come to move on.

 

Morgan, an ex-education minister who worked in the Treasury and as the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, will join former interior minister Amber Rudd and another former education minister Justine Greening in not running at the election.

 

David Lidington, a former deputy prime minister, and former minister Alan Duncan are also stepping down while Ken Clarke will retire from his position as Father of the House, the title given to the longest continuously sitting lawmaker.

 

In her resignation letter Morgan referenced the toll the job had taken on her family and the high levels of abuse that lawmakers, or members of parliament (MP), routinely face in doing their job.

 

"The clear impact on my family and the other sacrifices involved in, and the abuse for, doing the job of a modern MP can only be justified if, ultimately, parliament does what it is supposed to do," she said.

 

One particularly raucous House of Commons session in September was condemned by lawmakers on all sides when Johnson goaded his opponents to call an election and opposition lawmakers responded by calling the prime minister a liar.

 

When one opposition lawmaker asked Johnson to tone down his rhetoric of "surrender" and "betrayal" in light of the death threats she was receiving, the prime minister replied: "I have never heard so much humbug in my life".

 

His response sparked uproar on the opposition benches.

 

Morgan said she would continue to support the Conservative Party and the prime minister in the forthcoming election and beyond. However some Conservative lawmakers have warned that the party risks moving too far to the right under Johnson, the face of the Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum.

 

"Boris may get back some Brexiteer Tory (Conservative) and Labour votes but he is losing the Liberal Conservatives," Keith Simpson, a lawmaker from Johnson's own party, said on Twitter. "How not to get a majority."

 

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-31

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When did this trend to call MPs lawmakers begin ?

 

I don't recall it being used as much in the past .

1 hour ago, Denim said:

When did this trend to call MPs lawmakers begin ?

 

I don't recall it being used as much in the past .

I've noticed Reuters using it quite often recently. It must be newspeak.

 

54 minutes ago, Denim said:

When did this trend to call MPs lawmakers begin ?

 

I don't recall it being used as much in the past .

its either lawmakers or school children, i think they resemble school children more. just watch parliament live.

31 minutes ago, steve187 said:

its either lawmakers or school children, i think they resemble school children more. just watch parliament live.

 

Next year the speaker will have become the sherrif who controls the lawmen. Parliament will become the OK coral and Big Ben will be Big Ben Cartright. An election will be a bonanza , black rod will carry a peacemaker and the various parties will be known as tribes. A house in session will be aptly named , sitting bull.

1 hour ago, Denim said:

When did this trend to call MPs lawmakers begin ?

 

I don't recall it being used as much in the past .

 

“The 2016 vote to leave the European Union has deeply divided the country and sparked vicious scenes both inside and outside the House of Commons where lawmakers are routinely confronted by angry protesters as they enter the parliamentary estate.”

 

Same, same with the expression “parliamentary estate”. Throws up an image of a rundown council estate with rubbish strewn everywhere and abandoned burnt out cars whilst menace and intimidation stalk the streets.

 

 

Another Remainer running away from the electorate before they can be held to account for their behaviour. She was happy to take the career opportunity (Culture Secretary, a lovely little number) to serve in Johnson's Pro-Leave cabinet despite being an ardent Remainer and said she'd vote Remain in a second referendum despite standing on a manifesto to Leave and her constituency voting Leave.

 

Of course, as soon as a General Election is announced she realizes the chickens are coming home to roost so she announces she is quitting and blames everyone else. Another one down the plughole, although I must admit I was much happier about the turncoat, Amber Rudd's resignation. 

Agree without you in every detail.

2 hours ago, steve187 said:

its either lawmakers or school children, i think they resemble school children more. just watch parliament live.

I once had an operation and the only channel on the provided radio ( no tv back then ) was parliament. I was stunned at how juvenile the entire <deleted> bunch of them were. A complete shower, the lot of them.

No politician with a family should stand for parliament now. The abuse heaped on them just for being related is an abomination.

The list so far

Certainly won't be missed. The worst education secretary in the past 100 years.

4 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I've noticed Reuters using it quite often recently. It must be newspeak.

 

It's American......like firefighters and so on. A creeping cultural invasion.

2 hours ago, silver sea said:

 

“The 2016 vote to leave the European Union has deeply divided the country and sparked vicious scenes both inside and outside the House of Commons where lawmakers are routinely confronted by angry protesters as they enter the parliamentary estate.”

 

Same, same with the expression “parliamentary estate”. Throws up an image of a rundown council estate with rubbish strewn everywhere and abandoned burnt out cars whilst menace and intimidation stalk the streets.

 

 

Perhaps these do-nothings will learn how real people live on estates up north.

4 hours ago, steve187 said:

its either lawmakers or school children, i think they resemble school children more. just watch parliament live.

I think that's disrespectful to school children, how about egotistical selfish idiots.

All jumping before they're pushed out by their constituences. Good riddance.