South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon has been named as Backbencher of the Year in the parliamentary House Magazine annual awards.
Mr Bacon was chosen by MPs as Backbencher of the Year for his work in exposing the foreign prisoners scandal. Mr Bacon established by persistent questioning of the Home Office that foreign national prisoners were being let out of prison without being considered for deportation, and that those released included highly dangerous criminals such as murderers, rapists and other violent offenders. The scandal led to the resignation of Norwich MP Charles Clarke as Home Secretary.
Mr Bacon said: “I am honoured that my parliamentary colleagues have chosen me for this award. As MPs we all represent constituents who pay tax and who want effective and efficient public services, including prisons that protect the public rather than making the streets more dangerous”.
“The more I see of public life, the more I am convinced we should spend slightly less time on new policies and rather more time on injecting large doses of common sense into how public services are run”.
19 July 2006
|
|
|
|
