Yesterday the Government reopened the opportunity for MPs to raise their calls as part of the Early Day Motion documents. These arose late in the day and there were a total of 25 EDMs. The last time that they arose was on the 8th September. With only two exceptions they were all produced by the author with no extra signatures on the day. So today we can expect that there will be more MPs that will sign some of the EDMs. The 25th EDM was published by Stephen Timms, the MP for East Ham. He is not someone who has produced a significant number of EDMs. His last one was back in April which was entitled “Care provision for pregnant migrant women” and there have only been a total of 11 including this one and the first was back in 1995. However along with the one he rose in April this is a very significant call that he is raising. One can assume that he will get a lot of support from his colleagues from today. We will be aware that Stephen was violently attacked back in 2010 in his Constituency and he was previously the Chief Secretary to the Treasury when the Labour Party was the Government.

PS: Tonight at 19:30pm I have checked the EDM again and there have been 3 more signatures. They are

2. Caroline Lucas – Green MP for Brighton Pavilion

3. Alison Thewliss – SNP MP for Glasgow Central

4. Chris Stephens – SNP MP for Glasgow South West

So here is the EDM document.

Conduct of the Right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip

EDM (Early Day Motion)400: tabled on 21 September 2022

Motion text

That this House notes that the Right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip stated incorrectly in the House on twelve occasions between 24 November 2021 and 20 July 2022 that total employment was higher than before the pandemic; further notes that he accepted at the Liaison Committee on 30 March and in his follow-up letter of 26 April that this claim was incorrect; notes that he answered a parliamentary written question on 23 June acknowledging that the total UK employment was lower that before the pandemic; regrets that he made the incorrect claim on three further occasions after the Liaison Committee meeting, including when he last answered questions as Prime Minister on 20 July, stating We have more people in paid employment that at any time in the history of this country; and calls on the Right hon. Member to correct the record at the earliest opportunity.

It will be interesting to see how many MPs will sign this EDM. The document can be sourced from here.