I HAVE just seen a spokesman from each of the three traditional parties trying to justify why some debates in the Westminster chamber only have a handful of MPs taking part.

Listening to them, apparently half their working day is spent on social media replying to their constituents and they see no wrong in being absent from important debates, unless the subject being discussed concerns their own constituency.

None of them mentioned the five months when Parliament is shut down.

They all have a staff of researchers and secretaries to do the menial work for them, so their excuses just don’t stack up. Surely we cannot now add idleness to their unimpressive CVs.

Geoff Robb, Hunters Close, Dunnington, York.