The Scottish Parliament is currently debating a member’s bill – the equivalent of Westminster’s private member’s bills – which would for the first time allow it to kick errant members out.
The Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill, introduced by Reform MSP Graham Simpson, would give constituents the right to recall a member if they receive a prison sentence of less than six months or receive a sanction excluding them from Holyrood for a certain period of time.
In addition, the bill would allow the Scottish Parliament to remove an MSP entirely if they receive a prison sentence of six months to a year (at the moment they can only be booted out if they’re locked up for more than a year) or don’t attend for more than six months without a good reason.
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But why stop there, some MSPs have queried, wondering if the bill would be a good opportunity to force members to face a by-election if they defect to another party, having effectively cheated the voters.
Simpson, though, is firmly against the idea. “I think people move parties for different reasons,” he explained to BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show yesterday. “I think if you were to, if this is legislated for, then you will end up with a situation where people are trapped in political parties that they’re no longer happy with.”
Unrelated fact: Graham Simpson defected to Reform from the Conservatives in August, and refused to face a by-election.
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