CHRISTCHURCH MP Chris Chope again managed to talk the Bournemouth bill out of time yesterday as MPs warned the debate was becoming “rather ridiculous.”

Mr Chope had edgy exchanges with frustrated Bournemouth MPs and was told off twice by the deputy speaker for diversions onto subjects such as what the weather is like in Manchester.

He managed to talk his way through most of a three-hour debate after tabling more amendments to a bill that would ban street pedlars from Bournemouth.

The bill has been privately paid for and sponsored by Bournemouth Council but has been greatly delayed thanks to the opposition of Mr Chope and several other MPs.

Mr Chope’s proposed changes included only banning pedlars from a one-mile zone from the pier, and he spoke for long enough to get another adjournment until January 28.

He also took a swipe at repeated interruptions from frustrated Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood.

Mr Ellwood replied: “There never will be a meeting of minds when he is trying to carve up my constituency and prevent Bournemouth Council from doing its job.”

Mr Chope’s argument seemed to be two-fold: pedlars are mostly entrepreneurs who cause few problems, and they should be dealt with by a national law, because they move from place to place.

Only around 15 MPs were in the chamber.

Bournemouth West MP Sir John Butterfill asked at the end if his name could be added to the list of voters, as he had been in the toilet making sure no-one missed the vote on one amendment, and had missed the vote himself.