Northfield Labour MP Not Even in the House When the Delay in Publishing the MG Rover Inquiry is Announced

The Inquiry into what went on in the ending of a large sector of Midlands manufacturing, and the loss of thousands of secure, decently rewarded skilled jobs with MG Rover being driven into collapse, in 2005, may be published before the end of July. 'Lord' Mandelson has stated that the SFO could have reviewed it within 20 days (not that their reviewing of the Inquiry report is any justification for further delay in its wider publication, ed.)

The Labour Member for Northfield, Richard Burden, failed to be present in the Commons when the Minister of State, who has to serve for the inadequate answerability to the Commons resulting from the Secretary of State sitting unelected in the Lords, was told by the MP for Egbaston that the Member representing the constituency which includes Longbridge was in a traffic jam.. He was, in fact, on his way to Heathrow for a trip abroad, though possibly he was indeed in a traffic jam. It is difficult to believe that the Labour Member for Northfield could have been unaware that this matter might come up in the House; and in any case, why wasn't he in the Commons where we pay a very large wage for him to be present a very few weeks of the year?