IF Cllr Richard Baum wants to be taken seriously as a parliamentary candidate, he needs to do two things, urgently.

Find out about his own party’s policy and check his facts before rushing into print, rather than relying on second-hand information from unreliable websites.

The Liberal Democrats wanted an inquiry into the war in Iraq while British soldiers were still on duty in Basra.

Nothing could be more damaging to the morale of our troops. Nothing could be more insulting to their families, who worry day and night about their safety.

The Government will commission an independent inquiry into all aspects of the war in Iraq once all British troops have safely returned home later this year. That is the policy I support.

The Liberal Democrats used to support congestion charging, but now support road pricing on every trunk road and motorway in Britain. Not just at the peak periods of congestion — but all day and every day.

Now they say they oppose congestion charging!

The Liberal Democrats say they are concerned about tax breaks for the rich, but have recently abandoned their policy of a 50 per cent tax rate on the top one per cent of incomes.

There was a time when Liberal Democrat councillors were always accused of sitting on the fence. Now they simply keep jumping from one side of the fence to the other, depending on which way the wind is blowing.

If Cllr Baum wants to know about my voting record, he can check Hansard, which he will find more accurate than any commercial website.

He could also come along to my next public question time to question me about it, but somehow I doubt he will.

David Chaytor MP