MP Guto Bebb and U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent

MP Guto Bebb and U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (July 27, 2012)

By Colby Itkowitz Call Washington Bureau

4:51 p.m. EDT, July 26, 2012
Washington—

U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent had some advice for his British guest: Don't create a Senate.

“Over here we have a saying, both Republicans and Democrats use it, we’re in charge so we Republicans will say, ‘Democrats are the opposition but the Senate is the enemy’,” Dent said, laughing. “Before you create a Senate, think about that. Feel free to quote me back there.”

Guto Bebb, a member of the United Kingdom’s Parliament, was among a large group in the Conservative Party who bucked the prime minister and blocked efforts to make its upper chamber resemble something that would look like the U.S. Senate.

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Sitting in Dent's office Thursday morning, Bebb, of Wales, explained that the House of Lords is mostly filled with lifetime seats appointed based on family and political ties. The lower chamber, the House of Commons, of which he is a member, is democratically elected.

The House of Lords can delay bills passed through the House of Commons, but cannot ultimately prevent them from becoming law. Some in the United Kingdom, including Prime Minister David Cameron, have pushed to reform the Lords to make them elected positions, which Bebb and others argued could weaken the Commons’ power and create gridlock.

Bebb is visiting Washington for a week and was assigned to shadow Dent. Rather than partaking in London’s Olympic opening ceremony, Bebb will be watching another sporting event live: an IronPigs baseball game.

He traveled back to the Lehigh Valley with Dent Thursday night, and has a day of activities scheduled Friday that include a tour of Air Products, a round table discussion with the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the baseball game. He’ll also join Dent to knock on constituents’ doors.

His family is originally from Bangor in northwest Wales. Hearing that, Dent said they’d try to squeeze in a visit to Bangor in Northampton County.

In Washington since Sunday, Bebb met with White House administration officials, trade groups and high-level congressional staffers. He was surprised how many people he met complained about Congress’ partisanship. It’s one area, he said, where Capitol Hill can learn from Westminster.

“I think you should do something about your gridlock system,” he said. “You obviously need to have a system that is possibly more agile. We can pass legislation in a day, we can start at 2 and by 10 have a new law.”