Commons sleep-overs fall out

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By Nick Assinder
Political Correspondent, BBC News website

The thought of MPs queuing up all night in their sleeping bags just to take part in big Commons occasions is enough to warm the heart of any cynic who believes parliamentary democracy is dead.

Pound has accused Lib Dem of deal breaking

The sight of Ealing North's Stephen Pound tucked up in his pyjamas with a couple of thrillers outside the table office is particularly appealing.

It is a tradition that each year some brave and committed backbenchers do just that in order to get into the Commons chamber - which is not big enough to hold all of them - for the budget and the Queen's speech.

It is also done by those wishing to put down the first motions on the new session's order paper.

These motions never get voted on but are a high-profile and very effective way of drawing attention to issues of concern.

It is the Commons equivalent to the first day of the Harrods sale and just as good tempered and comradely - usually.

Good causes

But I fear relations between two of this year's sleep-overs may have been strained to breaking point.

According to Mr Pound, he had done a deal with Colchester's Lib Dem MP Bob Russell to allow them both to get their very good causes top of the order paper.

Both would queue over night but Mr Russell would put down the first motion on behalf of Cystic Fibrosis while Mr Pound - who had earlier that night been the MC at the charity-supporting Annie's bar pool contest - would get second slot for his motion supporting Bob Geldof's Make Poverty History charity.

Russell says rules are rules

A seething Mr Pound, however, claims the Lib Dem reneged on the deal.

"I was there for 11 hours but when the office opened he sneaked in like a furtive ferret and put down eight motions," said Mr Pound.

Stop whingeing

"It was sharp practice and I hope his is profoundly ashamed of himself by putting his own ego above the causes.

"I went equipped with a sleeping bag, a hip flask and four books but I got no sleep and could not settle down to read Harold Wilson's History of the Labour government 1974 to 1979 because Russell was snoring so loudly the windows were rattling.

"It's the last time I spend the night with a Liberal Democrat," he said.

Mr Russell, who insists he was in the queue four hours ahead of his sleeping bag rival, dismissed suggestions any deal had been struck between the two.

"If, as I suspect, he is skilfully trying to build up publicity for his charity, which I support, that is laudable.

"However, if he's genuine in his outrage he should get a life."

The idea of an MP attempting to manipulate the media in such a fashion is, of course, unthinkable!