---

Parliamentary Standards Bill

I entirely agree with what my right hon. Friend the Member for North-West Hampshire (Sir George Young) has just said—and, indeed, with everything that he said in his brief but, I felt, totally persuasive speech. I feel very sorry for the Secretary of State. He is trying to be his master's voice and he is clearly finding it extremely uncomfortable. His performance at the Dispatch Box at the beginning of this debate was one of total sincerity but utter discomfort—[Interruption.] Yes, it was. It could be seen in the way in which he responded to my plea for clarity. I would commend to him the letters of Lord Chesterfield to his son, which are perhaps the best commentary on manners in the 18th century. The boy was going off on the grand tour, and his father warned him of the pitfalls of frequenting houses of ill-fame. He said, "Be careful of your money. Remember, the pleasure is momentary, the position is ridiculous and the expense is damnable." Tonight, the right hon. Gentleman is a classic illustration of that. He adopted a ridiculous position, the pleasure of doing so is certain to be momentary and the cost to this House is damnable. I think that the Secretary of State should think again, and if he has not read Lord Chesterfield there is a treat in store for him—