\Media statement
For immediate release
Friday, 23 March 2007

United Future says no to urgency on Bradford Bill

United Future leader Peter Dunne says his party will not support Sue Bradford's smacking Bill being rushed through Parliament under urgency.

"Although United Future MPs are exercising a conscience vote on the Bill, we will vote as a party to oppose any move for urgency.

"The Bradford Bill is a Member's Bill and should be treated as such.

"It should not be rushed through under urgency, just to get the issue out of the way," he says.

Mr Dunne says that United Future MPs will continue to have a split vote on the Bill itself.

"We believe very strongly in the right of individual MPs to exercise a conscience vote.

"We deplore Labour's decision not to let its MPs do so on this Bill, and call on the Labour caucus to reverse that decision," he says.

However, Mr Dunne rejects calls for United Future to bloc vote against the Bill if it proceeds under urgency.

"It would be the height of hypocrisy, to say the least, to be critical of Labour not allowing its MPs to have a conscience vote, and then to withdraw our MPs' right to a conscience vote, just because we disagreed with the procedural tactics being followed," he says.

ENDS

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