We would like to introduce Philip Davis Con MP for Shipley to you. Mr Davis likes to talk and talk he does or Filibustering as it is known in parliamentary terms. On the 30th October he talked out a proposed law to introduce free hospital parking for carers by speaking in the House of Commons for 93 minutes in order to use up the time allocated for the debate and on the 20th November he talked for 52 minutes to help kill a law which would have given all school pupils First Aid Training "When the new Conservative member for Shipley stood up on 7 June 2005 to make his maiden speech in the Commons he promised his fellow Parliamentarians two things. “I assure Honourable Members that I am a straight-talking Yorkshireman who will not be afraid to be controversial,” But, he added, he would not be verbosely controversial. “I intend to start off as I mean to go on – by being brief.” Nine years on and it would be fair to say that Davies has succeeded admirably in his first ambition but failed lamentably in his second." You can read more on his talkative and illustrious career here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/philip-davies-the-master-of-filibuster-and-friend-to-rogue-landlords-9924580.html The reason we have introduced Mr Davis to you is that on October 27th Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh was given leave to take her bill on benefits sanctions to a 2nd reading in Parliament. This 2nd reading will be heard on the 4th December and Mr Davis was in the chamber for the Conservatives during the bill's first reading Ms Ahmed Sheikh's Private Members Bill is identical to two of the issues that we have been campaigning for: 1. Set up an independent review into Benefit Sanctions 2. Pay Hardship Payments to all claimants who have been sanctioned from day one. We have no doubts that Mr Davis will make an appearance on the 4th December and will talk this bill out making it impossible for a vote to be taken. There is only one way to stop this from happening and that is for us to muster 100 MPs to table a closure motion and force the legislation to a vote. We would like to ask you to email your MP if they are in the one of the Opposition Parties and ask them to attend the second reading of this Private Members Bill so that it can be debated and voted on as it deserves to be. You can copy and paste the following into your email to your MP On October 27th Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh was given leave to take her bill on benefits sanctions to a 2nd reading in Parliament. This will be heard on the 4th December Her bill is in accordance with The Beyond Oakley Review which recommended that the government: 1. Set up an independent review into Benefit Sanctions 2. Pay Hardship Payments to all claimants who have been sanctioned from day one. The government has rejected both of these recommendations. I would ask you to attend the debate as I fear that her Private Members Bill will be talked out. Sanctions for people who are not classed as vulnerable are mentally and physically damaging as this group of claimants cannot access Hardship Payments for two weeks. During this period many are left destitute and are forced to go without food, gas and electricity. With winter around the corner we would ask you to please support this Private Members Bill and stop this practice of leaving citizens of this country without the basics essential of life. You can find you MP's contact details here: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/ Thank you for your support. Finally there is a petition against Filibustering if you wish to sign you can find it here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/111441 Thank you. Please keep signing and sharing