Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

David Nuttall Excerpts
Monday 17th November 2014

(9 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mike Penning Portrait Mike Penning
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I am very surprised by an Opposition and a Labour party that have PCCs out there such as Vera Baird—[Interruption.] Is the hon. Gentleman decrying the work that Vera Baird does? That is interesting—we have a Labour party that decries its own PCCs.

David Nuttall Portrait Mr David Nuttall (Bury North) (Con)
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Does not my right hon. Friend agree that turnout in elections for PCCs might improve if we went back to using the tried and tested first-past-the-post method?

Mike Penning Portrait Mike Penning
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We are thinking carefully about the two by-elections and about what methodology would help to increase turnout, but if Labour Members keep running them down, it is no surprise that police and crime commissioners in their own areas—and the shadow Minister told me that they were doing a fantastic job—[Interruption.] Members can try and shout me down, but, at the end of the day, they will not succeed.