John Hemming’s actions in using parliamentary privilege to reveal Ryan Giggs’ superinjunction in the Commons this afternoon has caused a media frenzy. We potentially face a major upheaval as to how our privacy law functions, and pitched battles between Parliament and the judiciary as they fight for supremacy on the issue.
Not all his colleagues are as impressed as the media at Hemming’s actions, though. Speaking to me just now, Conservative MP Damian Collins, who sits on the Culture, Media and Sport committee, said he didn’t see what Hemming “added” through is actions. He told me:
“I think John Hemming misjudged his remarks this afternoon. We were discussing a very serious questions put down by John Whittingdale about a report from the Master of the Rolls, not any specific matter.
“As John said, most people already know about the matter after it’s spread through Twitter. But as MPs we need to be very careful about how we use parliamentary privilege and use it for things in the public interest rather than gratuitous name-dropping. I think the Speaker was right to intervene.”
Collins also called the situation “farcical” and said that the committee will be meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the next move. They will have “more to say” after that meeting, he says.
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