Controversial legislation to exempt MPs and peers from freedom of information laws has cleared a major parliamentary hurdle despite fierce opposition.
Opponents failed in a marathon rearguard action to block further progress on the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill (FOI), which secured its third reading by 96 votes to 25, a majority of 71.
Introduced by Tory former chief whip David Maclean, it now passes to the Lords for consideration where it is likely to face a further mauling.
A cross-party group of MPs battled for five hours to kill the Bill, using every procedural tactic in the book to eat up the parliamentary time available.
These included presenting a series of petitions, debating amendments at length, raising points or order and taking multiple interventions.
Supporters of Mr Maclean's Bill say it will protect the confidentiality of correspondence between constituents and MPs.
But opponents warn the real aim is to block embarrassing disclosures about MPs' expenses and allowances.
Both the Government and Conservative frontbench insist their position is "neutral" but both have given tacit support in previous votes.
Mr Maclean sought to reassure MPs that the measure would not block detailed disclosure of MPs' expenses.
Speaker Michael Martin had made it "absolutely clear" that this information would still be published, he added. But a number of MPs hit back that there was no guarantee this assurance would be given by a future Speaker.
