Emergency debate
has been added to the Commons agenda for today.
Mr Speaker Bercow has on an issue of privilege, after the Birmingham Yarley MP, John Hemming, claimed he had been "intimidated" by a firm of solicitors.
Mr Hemming's blog links the complaint to a constituency issue...but MPs are increasingly sensitive about what some complain is a growing trend towards legal attempts to gag them - and some fear the slow erosion of the 1689 Bill of Rights, which guarantees that the courts cannot interfere in anything said in Parliament, is now under way.
The Labour MP Paul Farrelly's complaints, last year, about superinjunctions possibly limiting Commons debate, are another example.
The debate, which is unusual, to say the least, will be held immediately before the topical debate on Afghanistan.
UPDATE: The Commons has just voted to refer the issue to the Committee on Standards and Privileges, with a view to them ruling before the General Election, whenever it comes.
Meanwhile the text of the e-mail in question .
I'm Mark D'Arcy and I'll be writing about what goes on in the chambers and committee rooms at Westminster.
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