§ Mr. BennWith your permission, Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a Petition to this House from the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the City and County of Bristol signed by the Lord Mayor and the town clerk, and sealed with the Great Seal of the City.
The allegations in the Petition are that the creation of the Viscounty of Stansgate provides that it should descend to the heir on the death of the present holder, that the heir is myself one of the Members of the City, and that upon my succession the burgesses will be deprived of one of their present representatives freely elected according to law.
The Petition concludes with the words:
Wherefore your petitioners most humbly pray that provision may be made by Act of Parliament enabling their Member the aforesaid Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn to renounce irrevocably the Name State Degree Style Dignity Title and Honour of Viscount Stansgate and all the Rights Privileges Pre-eminences Immunities and Advantages that would otherwise descend to him by virtue of the Letters Patent so that he may be enabled to continue to serve Her Majesty's Loyal Subjects the Burgesses of Bristol as a Commoner in the Commons House of Parliament for so long as he may be elected as one of their representatives according to law.And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.
§ To lie upon the Table.