MPs vote themselves exemption from Freedom of Information

To those who feel the political system doesn’t listen and doesn’t care;

To those who feel powerless and have lost faith;

To those who feel Westminster is a distant place and politics simply a spectator sport:

I will strive to earn your trust.

The aspirations of Gordon Brown’s leadership acceptance speech didn’t last very long, did they?

He had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his seriousness today by blocking the bill to exempt Parliament from the Freedom of Information Act.

Instead MPs have voted the bill through and the effective leader of the majority party in the Commons says it was nothing to do with him. Not good enough.

If this bill becomes law, Westminster will be that much more distant, and the public will be that much more powerless.

At least we know where we stand with Brown’s supposed constitutional reform agenda.