Hendon MP Andrew Dismore camped overnight on the floor of the House of Commons to ensure he was first in line to submit a list of Private Members' Bills.
While the toll of Big Ben boomed overhead, Mr Dismore nestled into his sleeping bag outside the Public Bills Office on the evening of Wednesday, January 21, in a bid to get his 12 bills tabled first.
The Labour MP told the Times Series that last year he had arrived at the Public Bills Office at 6am to find he had been bested by a Conservative.
He said: "I am not going to be upstaged by a Tory so this year I decided to sleep overnight. I got there at 6pm, did some homework, and by 11pm I unrolled my sleeping bag."
Mr Dismore's efforts were rewarded when Conservative MP Chris Chope walked in just before midnight to find the Hendon MP was first in line.
"He was too late. I had beaten him to it", Mr Dismore added with glee.
"I suppose it’s like queueing for tickets at Wimbledon or the Harrods sales. Maybe not as exciting. But then parliamentarians probably have a weird view of what is interesting."
Topics on Mr Dismore’s list include pharmaceutical labelling, restitution of art stolen during the Holocaust and the prohibition of the sale of illegally logged timber.
Tabled for February 3, under the Ten-Minute Rule Motion, is a call for an amendment to the Law of Property Act 1925 to correct a loophole in the law that allows mortgage-lenders to repossess homes without a court order.
"Whilst these bills will not have immediate priority, there is always a chance that one or two could make progress, as I have been able to move forward Private Members’ Bills under this procedure, before", he added.
Private Members' Bills allows backbench MPs an opportunity to propose new laws or amendments to existing laws.
