ONE of the all too frequent problems of being an MP is that of urgent, unplanned, events conflicting with planned commitments. Last Friday was one such day.

In my diary was the switching on of the Christmas lights in Stourport. Not just attending, but being the guest of honour to do the actual switching on, the key job of flicking the switch.

It has been in my diary for months, and an honour that is both a privilege and hugely enjoyable. The light switching on is the highlight of the Three Kings Parade – an annual event to get the festive season started in Stourport.

Normally any Friday for an MP is easy to organise. There is rarely any business in Parliament so we all tend to come home to look after constituency business. But last Friday was not usual.

There is a huge debate rumbling on about the EU and our membership. A recent survey shows just how fearful people are of a new influx of immigration coming from the new member states. People are fed up with rules from Europe and the Euro crisis continues to remind people of the folly of politicians with big, but ultimately dumb, ideas.

As a Conservative MP, I am signed up to giving people their choice on Europe – to an in/out referendum.

But whilst there are around 300 of us MPs determined that the country should be given the chance to have a referendum, our Liberal Democrat coalition partners are against the idea, whilst Labour have also made it clear they would stand against giving the people their chance to speak out on this subject.

This means that this cannot become a government Bill and we would struggle to get this through a Parliament with 650 MPs (a guaranteed majority being 326 MPs). So we are trying to get this through as a Private Members’ Bill, which sit on Fridays.

So last Friday I was given the choice: stay and vote for our referendum; or come home early to help Stourport start Christmas.

Ultimately, there was only one choice I could make.

Stourport had a big crowd of people – someone else could have done it. But Wyre Forest has just one MP. With no-one else to give Wyre Forest its voice on the referendum, I stayed to make sure we all get to speak out on Europe.

CONTACT YOUR MP

  • Email: mark.garnier.mp@ parliament.uk
  • Telephone: 020 7219 7198 or 01562 746771.
  • Write: 9a Lower Mill Street, Kidderminster, DY11 6UU, or House of Commons, Westminster, London