Category Archives: Harriet Harman

The Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, was more than usually confused at Business Questions today, losing her notes and appearing generally flustered. 

She was pressed repeatedly by several Members, including the shadow Leader, Sir George Young, as to why the Government did not propose to make a statement on the local government settlement.  Finally, she lost the plot altogether:

Mr. Andrew Mackay (Bracknell) (Con): In every single previous year, the appropriate Secretary of State has come to the Dispatch Box to give an oral statement on the local government settlement, and there has been, entirely separately, a pre-Budget report from the Chancellor. Why is that not happening this year, and what have the Government got to hide?

Ms Harman: I understand that there has been cross-party discussion on this, and there is an answer. [Interruption.] This is a serious point. This settlement is the final one of the first three-year settlements, and it is unchanged from January 2008. Therefore, following discussions with Opposition Front Benchers, the usual procedure was not seen as necessary. A letter was sent to Opposition spokespeople about this on 12 November, and there have been no objections from Front Benchers. [Interruption.] No, I see that that is not so. Ignore what I have just said—I will look into it.

I’m not entirely sure how far back Harriet wanted us to go in ignoring what she had to say.  Erring on the side of prudence and caution, I intend to start somewhere around May, 2005.

Fresh from her triumph in excluding Britain’s first female Prime Minister from a list of “women in power”, Equalities Tsarina Harriet Harman has decided to take on Britain’s booming lap dancing sector. 

Speaking at “a meeting on the sex industry and business” (yes, honestly), Harman declared her intention to press the Treasury to disallow the cost of nights out at lap dancing clubs as business expenditure.  Apparently, some companies are in the habit of entertaining clients at such establishments and are successfully clawing back corporation tax and VAT from the Revenue.

Harman’s principal objection to the practice is that it “excludes women in the workplace”, on the basis, presumably, that lap dancing clubs offer few obvious attractions for most female employees.  Secondly, however, it is:

“also part of a larger industry of exploitation of women and selling sex, so we have to look at it in both respects.”

Oh yes, of course.

Perhaps Harman should also spend some time reflecting on her own Government’s role in the matter, given that it was its notorious Licensing Act of 2003 that designated the squalid places as “leisure establishments”, rather than near-brothels, as well as providing for the 24-hour drinking culture that has done so much to promote temperance and public order.

The consequence of that landmark piece of Labour legislation is that central parts of the great cities of this country are now poorly regulated versions of Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, rather than places of resort for decent people.

 Took the opportunity at Business Questions yesterday of raising the issue of the collapse earlier this month of the Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB) co-operative.  Many of my farming constituents supplied milk to the co-op’s Llandyrnog creamery and have lost thousands of pounds in vital cashflow:

Mr. David Jones(Clwyd, West) (Con): Will the Leader of the House arrange for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make a further statement to the House on the circumstances that led to the collapse of the Dairy Farmers of Britain co-operative and on what has happened since? Across the north of England and throughout Wales, more than 1,500 farmers are suffering as a result of not having received their full milk cheques for May. That demands a further statement from the Secretary of State. Will the Leader of the House urge him to make one as a matter of urgency?

Ms Harman: The Secretary of State will be answering questions in the House next week. Given that this has been such an important issue in many regions, I am sure that he will be able to account to the House for the situation then.

Many suppliers of the creamery find it hard to understand how, only a few short months before DFB’s failure, the co-op’s annual report could include the following remarkably sanguine statement:

The prospects for DFB are very promising indeed. We have a business model that is capable of sustainable growth, driven by advantaged positions with emerging customers as well as our key relationships with our existing estate and we will maintain a relentless focus on costs and efficiencies, thereby improving our margins in line with business plan expectations.

The failure of DFB demands further investigation, and I have tabled an appropriate oral question to the Secretary of State for answer next week.