MPs' Holidays Could Be Cancelled Because Of Phone Hacking Inquiries

Kiss Those Dreams Goodbye: MPs' Holidays Could Be Scuppered By Hacking Probes

Some MPs are considering cancelling their summer holidays amid fears that the phone hacking enquiry could drag them back to Westminster.

Keith Vaz, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, has indicated that he may hold meetings over the summer, to investigate both the claims of phone hacking and the alleged payments to the police by journalists.

When asked by HuffPost if he had the power to recall his committee, and whether he was minded to do this, he replied, 'Yes I can and I will.'

So it looks as though for eleven MPs at least - five Tories, five Labour and one Lib Dem - that long-awaited holiday could be in doubt.

As regards the full recall of the entire House of Commons, that's less easy to predict. The Speaker doesn't have the power to recall Parliament himself - that power is effectively held by the government. John Bercow can only drag MPs back from the Costas if ministers ask him to.

Kevin Barron, chair of the Standards and Privileges Committee told Huffpost, 'To my knowledge there's no sign that there will be a full recall.'

Perhaps in light of that, many MPs not sitting on Keith Vaz's committee might prefer it if all the really bad news comes out before next Wednesday. They deserve a holiday as much as the rest of us, right?

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