HIGHLAND PARK SPECTATOR AWARDS

Parliamentarian of the year: the winners

THE FOURTEENTH annual Highland Park/Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards were presented on Wednesday by Mo Mowlam, Secretary of State for North- ern Ireland, the guest of honour, at a lunch generously provided once more by Matthew Gloag and Son Ltd, distributors of Highland Park whisky, at the Savoy Hotel, London. The guests were welcomed by Brian Ivory on behalf of Matthew Gloag and Son Ltd. The chairman of the judges, Frank Johnson, editor of The Spectator, read out the judges' choices and the rea- sons for them.

Parliamentarian of the Year: Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer.

When the Chancellor had to make a much-awaited Commons statement on 20 October about the European single currency, he was suffering from the after-effects of severe spin surgery. The Financial Times had reported towards the end of the parliamen- tary recess that he was in favour of our join- ing the single currency sooner rather than later. This report was ascribed to Mr Brown's spin doctors. Then it was reported that gov- ernment policy would be to join later rather than sooner. When the Chancellor rose on 20 October, the government appeared split on the single currency. The shadow Chancel- lor was about to become Parliamentarian of the Year. But when the Chancellor sat down, as a result of his skilful questioning of his questioner as to the Opposition's policy on the single currency, it was soon the Conser- vative front bench which appeared split and has appeared so ever since.'

Questioner of the Year: Mr John Redwood, shadow Trade and Industry Secretary.

`One of the marks of an outstanding par- liamentary questioner is an ability success- fully to assail the apparently unassailable, especially if the questioner's party has just been demoralised by a very heavy defeat at the polls. Who could look more unassail- able than someone who had until recently been chairman of just about our largest public company, who had become a minis- ter dealing with the most important issue of the day without having to endure the incon- venience of the hustings and who, because he was a member of Another Place, did not have to answer questions in the Commons? But the questioner of the year asked the questions nonetheless. At first the minister and the government appeared reluctant to answer. When they did so, the answers were generally agreed to be unsatisfactory. It was some time, and at some embarrass- ment to the minister and the government, before Mr Redwood's questions in the mat- ter of Lord Simon's BP shares satisfied most parts of the House.' Ministers to Watch: Stephen Byers, Minis- ter of State at Education, and Alan Mil- burn, Minister of State at Health.

`This award had to be given jointly because, in the judges' view, two names stand out among ministers outside the Cab- inet who obviously deserve to join the Cab- inet at the earliest reshuffle, if performance at the dispatch box counts for anything in assessing ministers, which, since we remain a parliamentary democracy, it should. In the Commons both give the decisive impression that they hold office because of ability rather than for reasons of party bal- ance or positive discrimination on grounds of race, disability or gender.'

Backbencher of the Year: Quentin Davies, Conservative MP for Grantham and Stam- ford.

`The test of whether backbenchers really believe that they should act as a check on government is whether they are prepared to act as a check on their own government. This year's winner was a member of the standing committee which heard Mr David Willetts's explanation of why, as a govern- ment whip, he had written a note suggest- ing that a committee chairman 'wanted' the whips' advice. It was this backbencher's questioning which elicited from the minis- ter the suggestion that he had used 'want' in the 18th-century sense. As a result of the questioning, the minister had to resign in the 18th-century sense too, that is, as a result of a force outside the control of whips and party machines.'

New member to watch: Robert Marshall- Andrews, Labour MP for Medway.

The winner of this award has just received a greater honour than this one. He was on the list of 41 new Members, drawn up by Mr Mandelson's Millbank apparat in the early hours of 2 May and disclosed in last week's Sunday Times, thought likely to prove especially troublesome to the whips. Since then he has more than justified the early lack of confidence placed in him. So independent-minded is he that, when ques- tioning ministers, it is not always possible to tell his party or ideology from his ques- tions, even though he has spent his working life in one of the trades traditionally associ- ated with Old Labour MPs, that is, Queen's Counsel.

Peer of the Year: The Countess of Mar.

`Most of our mediaeval institutions date from the earliest times of the Tourist Board. But there was already an Earl of Mar by the 13th century, and the title might even be older. The antiquity of her lineage did not prevent the present countess from campaign- ing against that manifestation of modernity, organophosphates. Her campaign last December drew from the Conservative gov- ernment an admission that, contrary to earli- er ministerial assurances, organophosphates had been sprayed on our military installa- tions during the Gulf war. The new govern- ment is inquiring into whether, as Lady Mar believes, they endangered our forces' health.'

Elder Statesman of the Year: Lord Callaghan.

`But, it may be asked, what has Lord Callaghan actually said during the year? In a way, that was the judges' point. Elder statesmen should say little. That way, when they do say something, it will be listened to. They should also have an air of dignity and an unwillingness to justify their part in old battles. Lord Callaghan would thus have been eligible for the award in any year since he left the Commons, so this is a good year to award it to him.'

The judges of the awards were: Bruce Anderson of The Spectator, Elinor Good- man of ITN, Simon Hoggart of the Guardian, Boris Johnson of the Daily Tele- graph, George Jones of the Daily Telegraph, Matthew Parris of the Times, Alan Watkins of the Independent on Sunday and Michael White of the Guardian.