Conservative MP, Anne Main, has said that the government is ‘treating backbenchers with contempt’, after a letter from the House of Commons Speaker called into question the Government’s ‘openness to Parliament’.

The St Albans MP, who raised a point of order in the chamber after prime minister’s questions, saying,

‘On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I just heard the Chancellor say that we should debate the substance and not the process in our debates on the EU referendum. As I let you know this morning, Mr Speaker, I have tried to do exactly that. I have written numerous questions, but I am basically getting answers that say, “Talk to the hand.” I approached the Procedure Committee, which admitted that I have not had substantial answers, or indeed any answers, to some questions. What more can be done? The Government are trying to muzzle those of us who are trying to get to the truth of all this. They are trying to ensure that we do not get any answers. The Government are acting disgracefully, and I am ashamed at their behaviour.’

Afterwards, Anne said, said ‘I have had a raft of parliamentary questions that the government has completely failed to answer, and subsequently referred some of them to the procedure committee. 

‘I am grateful to Mr Speaker, and the committee for taking these matters up.  Mr Speaker has been a champion of holding the executive to account and always endeavours to make sure that our voices are heard.  As he admits, however, the responsibility for answering these questions lies with ministers.

‘When I am out campaigning, people in the streets constantly say that they want the facts, and that there is merit on both sides of the argument.  The Government, however, is using the powerful Whitehall machine to suppress basic answers.  After the referendum, if they want to look the British people in the eye and say that was a fair campaign then they have no right to try to withhold information from the public.

Asked about the Government’s behaviour during the referendum campaign, the St Albans MP said that ‘they are treating backbenchers with contempt, and important parliamentary devices are being used to bury the truth. They have a lot of cards stacked on their side.  They see fit to bombard us with hysterical analysis, and blatant propaganda, but can’t answer simple parliamentary questions.

‘Back in February the prime minister told me at PMQs [prime minister’s questions] that the amount laws that come from Brussels was in the region of 14%.  He asked me to check with the library experts, who said it was more in the region of 60%.  I wrote to the prime minister about these findings over 6 weeks ago, and I still haven’t had a response.’