Andy McSmith's Election Diary: The former MP who achieved the almost-impossible

Brian Sedgemoor, the former Labour MP whose death was announced on 6 May, was once involved in an ingenious plot to thwart a gagging order imposed by a family court – something it is almost impossible to do without breaking the law.

Almost, but not beyond the wit of an MP with a barrister’s training who loved to pass on forbidden information. The court order banned any newspaper from mentioning Flora Keays, the girl born of an exta-marital affair between Cecil Parkinson, one of Margaret Thatcher’s favourite ministers, and his secretary Sara Keays. The girl was brought up by her mother, and had no contact with her father during childhood.

In January 1996, her mother wanted to launch an appeal to raise money for medical help abroad for Floral, then 12 years old, who was handicapped by a brain tumour she suffered when she was four. But launching an appeal would mean publicising the girl’s existence, which was banned by the court order, and Lord Parkinson – as he now was – was determined that the order should stay in force.

Sedgemore circumvented this legal obstacle by going to the clerks’ office on a Friday afternoon and handing in a motion for publication on the Commons order deploring the “blanket gag on all publicity relating to a child who has fought a magnificent battle against adversity” and leaking the wording to a journalist, Tony Bevins, formerly of this parish. Before Parliament had assembled on Monday morning, and therefore before the Clerk or the Speaker could rule the motion out of order, the story – now protected by parliamentary privilege - was all over the Sunday newspapers and the airwaves – and Sara Keays was able to raise the money she needed.

Quote of the Day

"I regretted that almost the minute the words came out of my mouth. I don't usually do mindless abuse."

Harriet Harman tells the BBC Dail Politics show she is very sorry she once called the Lib Dem Danny Alexander a “ginger rodent”. Because - who knows? - next week they could be Cabinet colleagues.

Don’t Vote for Me, Vote for Her

There are – strangely - several candidates in today’s election who for various reasons are asking voters not to vote for them, or who are not being backed by their own parties. Most do not matter, but one case that might make a difference is Patrick Haveron, who is on the ballot paper as a Lib Dem in South West Surrey, where the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is running for re-election. The Lib Dems have suspended Haveron from the party because of an alleged discrepancy on his nomination papers. They are no longer backing him, and are now urging supporters to vote for Dr Louise Irvine, of National Health Action, who chaired the successful campaign in 2013 to save Lewisham Hospital, in south London, from threatened closure. Even with his previous majority of 16,318, Mr Hunt could be in trouble.

In the Eye of the Beholder

It makes the eyes of proud parents water when they see photographs of their little ones in a local paper, which – obviously – is why a local paper in Somerset, the Cheddar Valley Gazette, published a spread with 56 cute kiddy pictures. They did not expect was the furious reaction they got from Errol Chandler, a UKIP candidate in the election to Mendip District council. He wrote to complain about what he called “"A handy catalogue of potential targets for paedophiles to browse.”

He added: “Perverts would think it great value…I bet Gary Glitter wished he still lived in Wedmore. You could personally deliver him his catalogue.”

Nigel Farage routinely points out that there are people in other parties beside UKIP with weird or obnoxious views. Maybe, but UKIP does attract them.