My letter to the Daily Telegraph

Dear Sir,

Melissa Kite reports (Sunday, 30 January) that some members of the Lords are unhappy at proposals to give the vote to those serving short prison terms, saying the idea has come “from nowhere”. Given in fact the issue has been the subject of legal action over several years, was much debated during the last government, was the subject of a government review before the election and has featured in many political leaflets and exchanges, claiming the idea has come from nowhere says rather more about how some peers are doing their job than it says about what the government has been doing. A good Parliamentarian would in no way be surprised by the appearance of the proposals.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Pack