Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg appear before MPs
20 October 2009 (updated on 22 April 2010)
MPs on the Speaker’s Conference question Gordon Brown MP, David Cameron MP and Nick Clegg MP in their capacity as political party leaders at 10.30 am today
- Video and Audio: Speaker's Conference evidence session
- Speaker's Conference
- Web Forum: Speaker's Conference
The Speaker’s Conference has concluded that the most effective way to interview the three party leaders is to call them to the table individually. Therefore the witnesses will appear as follows:
- 10.30am Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Leader of the Labour Party
- 10.50am Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Leader of the Conservative Party
- 11.10am Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party
The meeting will take place in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House and will last for one hour.
The Speaker’s Conference is a special committee established by the House of Commons to:
"Consider, and make recommendations for rectifying, the disparity between the representation of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people in the House of Commons and their representation in the UK population at large".
This meeting follows the publication of the Speaker’s Conference Interim Report in July and also the meeting held on 21 April when representatives of the three main political parties gave evidence regarding the parties’ processes for selecting Parliamentary Candidates.
The session will be open to members of the press with Houses of Parliament passes and to other full Parliamentary pass holders.
A web forum will be running during the meeting and until Monday 26 October to give the public the opportunity to comment on the meeting. The forum can be found at: http://forums.parliament.uk/speakers-conference
An uncorrected transcript of the hearing will be available www.parliament.uk/speakersconference as soon as possible following the evidence session.
The Speaker’s Conference was established by the House of Commons to look into the reasons why there are not more women, disabled people and people from ethnic minority communities in the House of Commons. It has to:
- identify any particular difficulties people in these groups face in becoming Members of Parliament,
- recommend ways of supporting them; and
- recommend ways of tackling those barriers to their success.