Can MPs force people to testify?
Former Vote Leave strategist Dominic Cummings follows Mark Zuckerberg in declining request to appear before MPs
The head of the Vote Leave Brexit campaign has become the latest public figure to refuse to appear before MPs, sparking debate about whether parliament should have the power to force people to testify.
Votes Leave’s chief strategist, Dominic Cummings, who was credited with being the brains behind the successful Brexit campaign, told MPs on the select committee investigating fake news he would not be willing to answer questions in public before the Electoral Commission finished its investigation into the referendum campaign, he said in a blog post.
Cummings, who is set to be portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in an forthcoming Channel 4 dramatisation of the referendum campaign, rejected a formal summons from the digital culture, media and sport committee, which demanded he appear before the end of May.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He is not the only public figure to refuse an invitation to appear before MPs. Earlier this week, says The Guardian, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he would not answer questions from parliament surrounding data and privacy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytic scandal. He instead got one of his deputies to appear in his place.
The Metro described the move as “sticking tow figures up at the UK”, while committee chair, Damian Collins, called it “absolutely astonishing”. Zuckerberg has since agreed to answer questions before MEPs in the European Parliament.
The Guardian says two refusals in less than a week “raises questions about the system of compelling reluctant witnesses to appear in front of parliament”.
In theory, MPs have “the power to issue fines or even threaten imprisonment for non-attendance”, says the paper, but in reality, “the system relies largely on consent, formal rebukes and the idea that individuals can be shamed by the media into attending”.
One such example is Sports Direct founder, Mike Ashley, who bowed to public pressure and appeared before MPs to explain his company’s treatment of workers, after initially indicating he would reject a formal summons.
In most cases, either through fear of legal repercussions, public condemnation or as an exercise in damage-limitation, a formal summons will compel people to appear before MPs.
But it remains an option of last resort, and carries with it serious risks if they are ignored, says Hannah White, of the Institute for Government. “Every time everyone observe the emperor has no clothes, in that parliament can’t force people to come, they lose a little bit of their authority,” she says.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Saint Paul de Vence: a paradise for art lovers
The Week Recommends The hilltop gem in the French Riviera where 20th century modernism flourished
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
'People in general want workers to earn a decent living'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'The fate of the moonshot is inextricably tied to Boeing's performance'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's Labour Party wins in a landslide
Speed Read The Conservatives were unseated after 14 years of rule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published