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The Conservatives came under further pressure today to identify the mystery Tory MP who scuppered a landmark anti-poverty bill that could have stopped "vulture" bankers profiteering from the developing world's debt burdens.
Commons leader Harriet Harman said it been "extremely regrettable and disappointing" that the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill had failed to secure its third reading in the Commons.
During exchanges on upcoming Commons business, Lib Dem business spokesperson David Heath called for more time to be allocated so the bill could be fully considered.
The Bill had been blocked by a single Conservative MP last Friday and due to the shortage in parliamentary time, it is now almost certainly not going to reach its final stages.
At the time, three Conservatives were in the chamber – Christopher Chope, Andrew Robathan and Simon Burns – but none of the suspects has admitted intervening.
Vulture funds buy up the debts of poor countries, often at a fraction of their face value, and pursue them through the international courts, in many instances despite agreements by other creditors to give the country debt relief.
The Bill aims to ensure that creditors cannot pursue debt repayment beyond the level assessed as fair and sustainable by the World Bank.
Heath called for further debate on the Bill before the election and said ministers should not let the legislation be "derailed by the anonymous member for Christchurch".
In response, Harman said the government strongly supports the Bill that would "limit the activities of vulture funds, which seek to profit unfairly from the defaulted debts of heavily indebted poor countries".
She told MPs: "There is a great deal of support across the House and we had expected, we had been led to believe, that the Opposition would support it as well.
"It was extremely regrettable and disappointing that the Opposition objected to it at third reading."
Harman hinted towards Christopher Chope (Con, Christchurch) saying she was "very concerned" that he had not remained neutral considering had had chaired the Bill's committee stages.
"It was particularly concerning that it appears it was objected to by the chair of the Public Bill Committee which had considered it and by convention would have been expected to remain neutral," she said.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd