Kevan Jones MP's sudden love of freedom of information

Now that MPs expenses are being racked through ( not a bad thing ) there are going to be a series of embarrassing revelations.

Today the BBC, to its glee, has Caroline Spelman in its sights for paying an employee who was also a Nanny from parliamentary expenses. ( See gloating at BBC here , the BBC certainly didn't make such a fuss of Labour ministers high expenses for gardens, food etc ).

Newsnight is claiming the scope - perhaps it just shows they know how to answer the phone eh ? One Kevan Jones MP is apparently insisting, and being helpfully quoted by the BBC, that this is referred to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. He gets the words "Clearly, old habits die hard in the Tory Party despite what their leader says" in.

Mr Jones doesn't strike me as a man who has an excess of initiative so we can assume he's been put up to it. (Why would anyone ask his opinion anyway ?) Perhaps the real assassin doesn't want his/her hands - and bitten finger nails - muddied with such things.

Here Mr Jones voting record on freedom of information: ( From http://www.publicwhip.org.uk )

Kevan Jones MP, North Durham

voted strongly against the policy

Freedom of Information - Apply to Parliament

by scoring 3.7% compared to the votes below

• Summary
• Full description
• Policy comparisons

House	Date	Subject	Agreement
Commons	20 Apr 2007	Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — MPs' expenses	absent
Commons	20 Apr 2007	Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — Exemption of Parliament	absent
Commons	18 May 2007	Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — Question Proposed	disagree
Commons	18 May 2007	Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — MP's correspondence	disagree
Commons	18 May 2007	Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — Constituent letters	disagree
Commons	18 May 2007	Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — Third Reading — Closure	disagree
Commons	18 May 2007	Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — Third Reading	disagree

He's votes for many other draconian anti freedom policies like ID cards and 42day internment without charge. He hates freedom of information in parliament but is happy to use it when its handed to him. Apparently he thinks there's no need for a public inquiry into the Iraq war - at least its the way he voted, but there is into the child care arrangements of an MP. I'm glad he's not my MP.

I find it hard to believe he's on a one man mission fuelled by his individual initiative.

The real story behind all this is how this 'revelation' was revealed and the motives of the man who did it. Dirty negative campaigning - now who's been up to that sort of thing recently ?

Update: Iain Dale has some timely background information for those who wish to condemn Caroline Spelman.

Conservative home, Centre Rights' Greg Hand, is zeroing in on Kevin Jones and his associations.