Clegg defends MP over insult (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Clegg defends MP over insult

2:03am Thursday 7th February 2008 in

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Nick Clegg last night defended local MP Greg Mulholland who stormed out of a Commons debate after insulting a minister.

He said he was not expecting a public apology from his health spokesman and that he would not be disciplined.

But he said it was unacceptable and not language the Leeds North West MP, pictured, would use in the Commons on a normal day.

Mr Clegg said: "Greg has apologised if you like or said he should not have used it and recognised it is not customary parliamentary language.

"Greg feels very strongly on that particular debate which was on hospices."

The Lib Dem leader said after speaking with other MPs he felt Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis behaved "in a way it was not surprising it provoked a reaction from Greg Mulholland. He (Lewis) simply would not let Greg come back on what was, he regarded at the time, to be a largely unprovoked attack.

"So I am not exonerating Greg for the language he used but I understand the circumstances in which he used that language tested his patience."

When challenged that Mr Mulholland had not in fact apologised, Mr Clegg continued: "It is plainly obvious that Greg is not going to start using the word on a daily basis in Parliament.

"He only used it under extreme duress and under extreme provocation. If you are asking me if it was a good thing for Greg to repeat that kind of behaviour then I think self evidentially not.

"Greg is a forthright outspoken parliamentarian who was speaking in a debate where he feels very passionately about the issue and felt he was not being given the opportunity to respond to a pretty crude attack from a Government minister.

"Let's of course be clear while there are some responsibilities on opposition politicians about the language they use, there is also a much heavier responsibility on ministers to conduct a balanced debate on what is a difficult issue."