On Wednesday during Opposition Day, the Labour Party brought a motion to Parliament ostensibly on fracking which would have given them control over the order paper and allowed them to bring their own legislation to the House. The Government made clear to me and to colleagues that they considered this a confidence motion and that Members of Parliament who did not vote with the Government would be at risk of losing the Conservative whip.
My views on fracking are unchanged - I understand the need for energy security in Britain but fracking is not going to get us there, and in the local areas where it is proposed (none in this constituency I might add) it is extremely unpopular. I voted with the Government on Wednesday evening for two reasons: 1) to stop Labour taking control of the legislative programme - as that is the fundamental point of being a government - and 2) to ensure that I retained the Conservative whip so I could play a full part in any leadership decisions that may have arisen following the vote and make sure that the interests of Hitchin & Harpenden were represented in those discussions.
