LETTER: Pendle MP is doing good work in the community

The letters page seems to contain the same people each week taking a pop at our MP, no doubt members of the same political party.

Mr Donald Jay’s letter last week read as if Andrew Stephenson hardly bothered to vote in Parliament. This is clearly a desperate smear.

Andrew’s record in Parliament is very good, but I think it is important Mr Jay realises that taking part in Parliamentary divisions is only one part of the role an MP undertakes and there are a number of reasons why not all MPs take part in every vote.

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This includes constituency work, work on committees and within government departments. There are also a number of votes on issues that most realise will never become law. For example, one of the votes he cites in his letter, “Legislation (Territorial Extent) Bill - Second reading”, is a Private Member’s Bill that will not make any further progress regardless of how many MPs took part in the vote.

I am grateful we now have an MP who is getting around the constituency and being seen at all sorts of different events. Those who follow Andrew on Facebook or Twitter will appreciate just how much good work he is doing.

However, when you consider Andrew’s Parliamentary record against Burnley’s Lib Dem MP Gordon Birtwistle and Hyndburn’s Labour MP Graham Jones, you will see our MP has not only spoken more times and asked more questions than those neighbouring MPs, but he has also voted in many more divisions than them too.

CHRISTIAN WAKEFORD

Roughlee