MPs and peers should be given tougher powers to haul powerful witnesses such as Mark Zuckerberg and Boris Johnson’s adviser Dominic Cummings to give evidence, a Tory grandee has said.
Andrew Tyrie, who chaired the Commons Treasury committee for seven years, called for beefed up powers for parliament’s select committees, including new legislation to require police to enforce summons to witnesses who are refusing to attend.
Mr Cummings, the prime minister’s top aide, has repeatedly refused to give evidence to MPs over the use of data in the Brexit referendum – despite being found in contempt of parliament for his reluctance to appear before the Commons media committee.
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The Facebook founder also snubbed a summons to the Commons fake news inquiry, choosing instead to give evidence to the European Parliament.
Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley, TV host Jeremy Kyle and Topshop’s Sir Philip Green have also refused to take part in enquiries.
In a new pamphlet, entitled The Emperor Has No Clothes , Lord Tyrie said: “Parliamentary magic to secure compliance with requests for people and papers is wearing off.
“It is not just that select committees are already constrained; the constraints are likely to get worse. An assertive executive, supported by a reasonable parliamentary majority, would be happy to let it deteriorate.”
In a veiled swipe at Mr Cummings, the report said that failing to attend could assist those “whose anti-establishment credentials could may be burnished by a finding of contempt” and leave MPs only able to scrutinise “the willing and the fearful”.
He called for changes to parliament’s standing orders to compel MPs and peers to give evidence, and new legislation to require that the police support the enforcement of warrants or summons for witnesses.
Lord Tyrie said: “Select committees are parliament’s success story of the last decade. They are now asking more of the questions, and forcing more of the explanations, that the public expects from its elected representatives.
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1/50 28 January 2020Torches are lit using a flare ahead of the Up Helly Aa Viking festival. Originating in the 1880s, the festival celebrates Shetland’s Norse heritage
PA
2/50 27 January 2020England bowler Mark Wood is lifted aloft by Joe Root after taking the final wicket of South Africa to win the match and series during day four of the Fourth Test at Wanderers in Johannesburg
Getty
3/50 26 January 2020Performers taking part in a parade involving costumes, lion dances and floats, during Chinese New Year celebrations in central London, which marks the Year of the Rat
PA
4/50 25 January 2020A couple walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire
PA
5/50 24 January 2020Boris Johnson gestures as he watches a performance during celebrations for Chinese Lunar New Year at Downing Street in London
Reuters
6/50 23 January 2020Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands next to her father Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and his mother Barbara, as they address the media in Downing Street following a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
PA
7/50 22 January 2020Rosa Connolly takes a close look during a preview of the Tyrannosaurs exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
PA
8/50 21 January 2020The sun sets behind tower cranes and the London skyline in the city financial district
PA
9/50 20 January 2020Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. Johnson is hosting African leaders and senior government representatives along with British and African businesses during the UK-Africa Investment Summit, aimed at strengthening the UKs economic partnership with African nations
Getty
10/50 19 January 2020Joe Root celebrates with his England team mates after taking the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen during day four of the third Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. He took a career-best four wickets during the day’s play, which saw the home side follow on in their second innings. They trail England by 188 runs going into day five
Getty
11/50 18 January 2020Drag queens pose on the pink carpet as they participate in the “Queen’s Walk” during RuPaul’s DragCon UK at Kensington Olympia
AFP via Getty
12/50 17 January 2020Kitty Ross, curator of social history, is pictured reflected in a display cabinet while holding a skeleton violin from the 1880s that forms part of the Sounds of our City exhibition at the Abbey House Museum in Leeds
PA
13/50 16 January 2020Britain’s Harry, Duke of Sussex (C), hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, 16 Ja​nuary 2020. The Duke, who is expected to step back from senior Royal duties, spoke with Ruby League ambassadors and children from St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School in London
EPA
14/50 15 January 2020Vehicles negotiate the flooded B4069 road at Christian Malford in Wiltshire after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
15/50 14 January 2020Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, as gales of up to 80mph from Storm Brendan caused disruption around the UK
PA
16/50 13 January 2020Puppeteers from Vision Mechanic rehearsing with Scotland’s largest puppet, a ten-metre tall sea goddess called Storm, in the grounds of the Museum of Flight, East Lothian. Made entirely from recycled materials, it was unveiled ahead of its debut at the Celtic Connections Costal Day celebrations in Glasgow this weekend
PA
17/50 12 January 2020A windsurfer jumps in the air after hitting a wave in the sea off of West Wittering beach in West Sussex
PA
18/50 11 January 2020Mikuru Suzuki celebrates winning the women’s championship of the BDO World Professional Darts Championships 2020 in London
PA
19/50 10 January 2020One of seven new lion cubs at the West Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster
PA
20/50 9 January 2020Rawson Robinson, from Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border clears snow from the model village he has built in his garden
PA
21/50 8 January 2020People read messages written on the David Bowie mural in Brixton, south London, on what would have been the singer’s 73rd birthday
PA
22/50 7 January 2020England’s Stuart Broad celebrates with teammate Ben Stokes after the dismissal of South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen during the fifth day of the second Test cricket match in Cape Town. Stokes claimed the last three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries to wrap up a 189-run win
AFP via Getty
23/50 6 January 2020Protesters in London take part in a demonstration in support of a British woman found guilty of lying about being gang raped in Cyprus
AP
24/50 5 January 2020Protesters demonstrate outside the US Embassy in London, after America killed Iran’s general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport
PA
25/50 4 January 2020Metropolitan police cordon off Charteris Road close to the junction with Lennox Road in Finsbury Park in north London, after a man was stabbed to death on Friday evening, the first murder in London in 2020
PA
26/50 3 January 2020Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London after the US killed General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport. Soleimani was head of Tehran’s elite Quds Force and Iran’s top general
PA
27/50 2 January 2020A keeper counts squirrel-monkeys at London Zoo during the annual stocktake. Caring for more than 500 different species, ZSL London Zoo’s keepers face the challenging task of tallying up every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate at the Zoo
AP
28/50 1 January 2020Peter Wright celebrates winning with the Sid Waddell trophy at the Darts World Championships in London. He stunned Michael van Gerwen to clinch his first title 7-3
PA
29/50 31 December 2019Surfers at Tynemouth on the north east coast
PA
30/50 30 December 2019Deer graze in the morning mist as cyclists ride by in Richmond Park, London
Reuters
31/50 29 December 2019Night sky after the sunset at Whitley Bay in Northumberland
PA
32/50 28 December 2019The Harlequins players arrive at the stadium prior to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Big Game 12 match between Harlequins and Leicester Tigers at Twickenahm Stadium
Getty Images for Harlequins
33/50 27 December 2019A car drives through floodwater near Harbridge, north of Ringwood in Hampshire, after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
34/50 26 December 2019Participants in the Old Surrey and West Kent Boxing Day Hunt in Chiddingstone. Hunting with horses and hounds is a Boxing Day tradition. Since the fox hunting ban in 2004, modified hunts take place using scented trails for the animals to follow
EPA
35/50 25 December 2019Swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race, which is held every Christmas Day at the Serpentine, in central London
PA
36/50 24 December 2019Shoppers bid for cuts of meat during a Christmas Eve auction in Smithfield market in London
EPA
37/50 23 December 2019Reggie the dog is rescued with a boat from flooding at the Little Venice Country Park and Marina in Maidstone
AFP via Getty
38/50 22 December 2019People gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice, and to witness the sunrise after the longest night of the year
PA
39/50 21 December 2019Southampton’s Jack Stephens scores their second goal against Aston Villa
Reuters
40/50 20 December 2019The coffin arrives for the funeral of London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge
PA
41/50 19 December 2019Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles walk behind the Imperial State Crown as they proccess through the Royal Gallery, before the Queen’s Speech, during the State Opening of Parliament
AFP via Getty
42/50 18 December 2019Luke Jerram’s art installation ‘Gaia’, a replica of planet earth created using detailed Nasa imagery of the Earth’s surface, hangs on display at the Eden Project in St Austell, Cornwall
PA
43/50 17 December 2019A surfer gets into the festive spirit at the inland surfing lagoon at The Wave, near Bristol
PA
44/50 16 December 2019Snowy conditions near Deepdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park as snow hits parts of the UK
PA
45/50 15 December 2019Oisin Carson, 5, picks a Christmas tree at Wicklow Way Christmas tree farm in Roundwood
PA
46/50 14 December 2019First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, takes a selfie as she joins the SNPs newly elected MPs for a group photo outside the V&A Museum in Dundee, Scotland
Getty Images
47/50 13 December 2019Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds arrive back at Downing Street after the results for the general election were announced. The Conservative Party won with an overall majority
EPA
48/50 12 December 2019A dog outside a polling station during the general election in Northumberland
Reuters
49/50 11 December 2019Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson stands between a Stop Brexit sign as she attends a general election campaign event at Esher Rugby Club, south west London. Britain will go to the polls tomorrow to vote
AFP via Getty
50/50 10 December 2019A surfer off the North East coast at Tynemouth
PA
1/50 28 January 2020Torches are lit using a flare ahead of the Up Helly Aa Viking festival. Originating in the 1880s, the festival celebrates Shetland’s Norse heritage
PA
2/50 27 January 2020England bowler Mark Wood is lifted aloft by Joe Root after taking the final wicket of South Africa to win the match and series during day four of the Fourth Test at Wanderers in Johannesburg
Getty
3/50 26 January 2020Performers taking part in a parade involving costumes, lion dances and floats, during Chinese New Year celebrations in central London, which marks the Year of the Rat
PA
4/50 25 January 2020A couple walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire
PA
5/50 24 January 2020Boris Johnson gestures as he watches a performance during celebrations for Chinese Lunar New Year at Downing Street in London
Reuters
6/50 23 January 2020Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands next to her father Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and his mother Barbara, as they address the media in Downing Street following a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
PA
7/50 22 January 2020Rosa Connolly takes a close look during a preview of the Tyrannosaurs exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
PA
8/50 21 January 2020The sun sets behind tower cranes and the London skyline in the city financial district
PA
9/50 20 January 2020Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. Johnson is hosting African leaders and senior government representatives along with British and African businesses during the UK-Africa Investment Summit, aimed at strengthening the UKs economic partnership with African nations
Getty
10/50 19 January 2020Joe Root celebrates with his England team mates after taking the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen during day four of the third Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. He took a career-best four wickets during the day’s play, which saw the home side follow on in their second innings. They trail England by 188 runs going into day five
Getty
11/50 18 January 2020Drag queens pose on the pink carpet as they participate in the “Queen’s Walk” during RuPaul’s DragCon UK at Kensington Olympia
AFP via Getty
12/50 17 January 2020Kitty Ross, curator of social history, is pictured reflected in a display cabinet while holding a skeleton violin from the 1880s that forms part of the Sounds of our City exhibition at the Abbey House Museum in Leeds
PA
13/50 16 January 2020Britain’s Harry, Duke of Sussex (C), hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, 16 Ja​nuary 2020. The Duke, who is expected to step back from senior Royal duties, spoke with Ruby League ambassadors and children from St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School in London
EPA
14/50 15 January 2020Vehicles negotiate the flooded B4069 road at Christian Malford in Wiltshire after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
15/50 14 January 2020Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, as gales of up to 80mph from Storm Brendan caused disruption around the UK
PA
16/50 13 January 2020Puppeteers from Vision Mechanic rehearsing with Scotland’s largest puppet, a ten-metre tall sea goddess called Storm, in the grounds of the Museum of Flight, East Lothian. Made entirely from recycled materials, it was unveiled ahead of its debut at the Celtic Connections Costal Day celebrations in Glasgow this weekend
PA
17/50 12 January 2020A windsurfer jumps in the air after hitting a wave in the sea off of West Wittering beach in West Sussex
PA
18/50 11 January 2020Mikuru Suzuki celebrates winning the women’s championship of the BDO World Professional Darts Championships 2020 in London
PA
19/50 10 January 2020One of seven new lion cubs at the West Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster
PA
20/50 9 January 2020Rawson Robinson, from Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border clears snow from the model village he has built in his garden
PA
21/50 8 January 2020People read messages written on the David Bowie mural in Brixton, south London, on what would have been the singer’s 73rd birthday
PA
22/50 7 January 2020England’s Stuart Broad celebrates with teammate Ben Stokes after the dismissal of South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen during the fifth day of the second Test cricket match in Cape Town. Stokes claimed the last three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries to wrap up a 189-run win
AFP via Getty
23/50 6 January 2020Protesters in London take part in a demonstration in support of a British woman found guilty of lying about being gang raped in Cyprus
AP
24/50 5 January 2020Protesters demonstrate outside the US Embassy in London, after America killed Iran’s general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport
PA
25/50 4 January 2020Metropolitan police cordon off Charteris Road close to the junction with Lennox Road in Finsbury Park in north London, after a man was stabbed to death on Friday evening, the first murder in London in 2020
PA
26/50 3 January 2020Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London after the US killed General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad’s international airport. Soleimani was head of Tehran’s elite Quds Force and Iran’s top general
PA
27/50 2 January 2020A keeper counts squirrel-monkeys at London Zoo during the annual stocktake. Caring for more than 500 different species, ZSL London Zoo’s keepers face the challenging task of tallying up every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate at the Zoo
AP
28/50 1 January 2020Peter Wright celebrates winning with the Sid Waddell trophy at the Darts World Championships in London. He stunned Michael van Gerwen to clinch his first title 7-3
PA
29/50 31 December 2019Surfers at Tynemouth on the north east coast
PA
30/50 30 December 2019Deer graze in the morning mist as cyclists ride by in Richmond Park, London
Reuters
31/50 29 December 2019Night sky after the sunset at Whitley Bay in Northumberland
PA
32/50 28 December 2019The Harlequins players arrive at the stadium prior to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Big Game 12 match between Harlequins and Leicester Tigers at Twickenahm Stadium
Getty Images for Harlequins
33/50 27 December 2019A car drives through floodwater near Harbridge, north of Ringwood in Hampshire, after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
34/50 26 December 2019Participants in the Old Surrey and West Kent Boxing Day Hunt in Chiddingstone. Hunting with horses and hounds is a Boxing Day tradition. Since the fox hunting ban in 2004, modified hunts take place using scented trails for the animals to follow
EPA
35/50 25 December 2019Swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race, which is held every Christmas Day at the Serpentine, in central London
PA
36/50 24 December 2019Shoppers bid for cuts of meat during a Christmas Eve auction in Smithfield market in London
EPA
37/50 23 December 2019Reggie the dog is rescued with a boat from flooding at the Little Venice Country Park and Marina in Maidstone
AFP via Getty
38/50 22 December 2019People gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice, and to witness the sunrise after the longest night of the year
PA
39/50 21 December 2019Southampton’s Jack Stephens scores their second goal against Aston Villa
Reuters
40/50 20 December 2019The coffin arrives for the funeral of London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge
PA
41/50 19 December 2019Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles walk behind the Imperial State Crown as they proccess through the Royal Gallery, before the Queen’s Speech, during the State Opening of Parliament
AFP via Getty
42/50 18 December 2019Luke Jerram’s art installation ‘Gaia’, a replica of planet earth created using detailed Nasa imagery of the Earth’s surface, hangs on display at the Eden Project in St Austell, Cornwall
PA
43/50 17 December 2019A surfer gets into the festive spirit at the inland surfing lagoon at The Wave, near Bristol
PA
44/50 16 December 2019Snowy conditions near Deepdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park as snow hits parts of the UK
PA
45/50 15 December 2019Oisin Carson, 5, picks a Christmas tree at Wicklow Way Christmas tree farm in Roundwood
PA
46/50 14 December 2019First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, takes a selfie as she joins the SNPs newly elected MPs for a group photo outside the V&A Museum in Dundee, Scotland
Getty Images
47/50 13 December 2019Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds arrive back at Downing Street after the results for the general election were announced. The Conservative Party won with an overall majority
EPA
48/50 12 December 2019A dog outside a polling station during the general election in Northumberland
Reuters
49/50 11 December 2019Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson stands between a Stop Brexit sign as she attends a general election campaign event at Esher Rugby Club, south west London. Britain will go to the polls tomorrow to vote
AFP via Getty
50/50 10 December 2019A surfer off the North East coast at Tynemouth
PA
“But their very success is exposing their weaknesses – their powers to compel witnesses to appear and to produce papers have been found wanting.
“Now is the time to bolster these powers. A parliamentary court is the best way forward as it can both satisfy human rights concerns and secure the evidence.”
Under current rules, those who refuse to give evidence to parliament can be found in contempt. However the charge is a symbolic admonishment that has rarely been used in modern times.
The call comes as MPs prepare to elect committee chairs for the new parliament, with results expected on Wednesday evening.
Labour’s Hilary Benn is expected to keep his role at the Brexit committee while Yvette Cooper is due to stay on at Home Affairs, where she has developed a fearsome reputation for holding ministers to account.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk