Government purges critical MPs

Some MPs believe parliament is often ignored

Two senior Labour MPs with records of criticising the government have been sacked as chairs of key Commons select committees.

Gwyneth Dunwoody, the fiercely independent chair of the transport committee, and Donald Anderson, who headed the foreign affairs committee, were told they had lost their jobs by Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong.

This is a bad day for the House of Commons and whoever was responsible for this should feel thoroughly ashamed

Nicholas Soames

Ministers came under fire from all political parties and the unions for trying ro reduce the independence of parliament and scrutiny of their work.

Mrs Dunwoody was chairwoman of the transport committee throughout the last parliament and was often highly critical of government plans to part-privatise air traffic control.

She said: "I am sorry to leave the transport committee on which I have served energetically and, I hope, usefully.

Banning dissent?

"The constituency I represent, with its railway connections, will find it difficult to understand that a government with such a large majority should show such a worrying sense of insecurity that they cannot afford to have even an odd voice of dissent.

Gwyneth Dunwoody is viewed as fiercely independent

"Close scrutiny is the basis of all good parliaments and the creation of acquiescent groups is not an efficient way of checking the executive. I am very disappointed."

Later she told the BBC that she had been offered an alternative on the security committee but "didn't feel it was quite me".

And she gave a stark warning to the government that she would continue to speak out when she disagreed with policy .

"Anyone who thought that cutting me loose was going to shut me up really had something to learn," she said.

Mr Anderson also expressed disappointment at the decision saying that he was suited to working on the foreign affairs committee because of his background as a diplomat.

"The foreign affairs committee showed a degree of independence in the last parliament and I hope this and other select committees will show similar independence in keeping the government on its toes in this parliament," he said.

Tory MP Nicholas Soames branded the decision to dismiss Mrs Dunwoody as "disgraceful".

He said: "She has been outstanding, a kind of role model for all select committee chairmen.

'Fearless'

"She was fiercely independent, fearless and knowledgeable.

Mr Anderson is a respected figure

"This is a bad day for the House of Commons and whoever was responsible for this should feel thoroughly ashamed."

Labour MP Tam Dalyell, who as the longest serving member carries the title Father of the House, said he was "appalled" that Mrs Dunwoody and Mr Anderson had been sacked.

"[The government] should not be surprised if MPs, particularly those who no longer think they have a realistic chance of ministerial office for themselves, bite back to assert their democratic position."

Newly elected chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party Jean Corston, whose job it will be to convey the views of the backbenches to the Labour leadership, said she realised that there would be disappointment among MPs like Mrs Dunwoody and Mr Anderson.

She said: "I think that any government that totally ignored its backbenchers would deserve trouble it got and I have never seen any evidence of this government ignoring the backbenches."

Chris Smith, who was sacked as culture secretary after the general election, is tipped to succeed Mr Anderson.

The successor to Mrs Dunwoody is not yet known.

Select committees are cross-party bodies whose role it is to scrutinise the work of government departments.