Islington Tribune - by ED CUMMING Published: 7 December 2007
MP turns on opponents ‘off in the bars drinking’
MP EMILY Thornberry has been ticked off by the House of Commons Deputy Speaker after claiming that opposition MPs were “off in the bars drinking” during a parliamentary debate on housing last week.
The Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury made her remarks during a seven-hour debate on the government’s proposed new housing bill.
After Ms Thornberry’s outburst, Deputy Speaker Sylvia Heal reminded her: “The hon lady is getting a little carried away. Let us remember that temperate language is the order of the day.”
But Ms Thornberry remained defiant, repeating her irritation that “opposition members are not in the chamber to listen to this important debate”. After the debate, she expressed her happiness with the government’s commitment to new housing, and her disappointment that “the opposition and especially the Tories had nothing useful to add”.