A Burnham-On-Sea district councillor has called on Bridgwater’s MP to consider stepping down after an alleged ‘information breach’.
MP Ian Liddell-Grainger posted a letter from a member of the public, showing his full home address on the Internet.
The MP has been reported to the Information Commissioner by Christopher Foster, of Reading University, following a row between the men over a butterfly study.
Joe Leach, district councillor for Highbridge and Burnham Marine, pictured right, told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Thursday: “As a result of his actions, I fully believe Mr Liddell-Grainger should consider his position.”
“Being a Member of Parliament, he should know full well that any correspondence he receives should remain confidential, any member of the public should be able to write to an MP with full confidence of that letter remaining private.”
“As an MP of over 12 years experience, I am astounded by his actions. I am further shocked by his refusal to apologise or even accept he has done something wrong. How can anyone trust him with their correspondence again?”
The discussions between the MP and Christopher Foster began earlier this year when the MP criticised a plan to spend £18,000 studying butterflies on Exmoor. When supporters of the study got in touch, Mr Liddell-Grainger put some emails to him on his blog, which included Mr Foster’s letter.
But Mr Liddell-Grainger has this week played down the matter, saying: “I haven’t had a direct complaint. All I have done is reproduce a letter on a website. The letter wasn’t marked ‘Private and Confidential’ or for my eyes only. He is not a constituent of mine – I have never breached a constituent’s trust. It is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. The bigger issue is the wasting of taxpayers’ money on a butterfly study.”
