Eric Simpson BBC News Online, Nottingham

Former whip Graham Allen has tackled the prime minister over Iraq and eaten smoked salmon sandwiches with the Queen's ladies-in-waiting.

And now his tenacious but informed style has earned him a bouquet from political journalists at The Spectator as backbencher of the year.

But his real passion is getting people involved in the political process.

The future, he says, lies in getting more views from more people so Parliament can better know what Britons think.

Online feedback

"The consideration of legislation is ritualistic and formalistic in this country - it lasts for months, but there is never any serious amendment," Mr Allen told BBC News Online.

"The whole process needs to go online so anyone can send in messages from their PC."

This pre-legislative scrutiny is one of his favourite topics - and he is pleased as punch it was mentioned in the Queen's Speech.

Now that I am out of government I can give freer rein to my own thoughts

Graham Allen MP

"For example, if David Blunkett is giving evidence on a crime bill and you have the equivalent of the Radio Times to consult, you could go online and watch the live evidence.

"Across the bottom of the screen would run an email address, so you could send your views in immediately.

"If you were a victim of crime, you could send a message saying: 'My experience is that I had to sit next to a bloke who threatened me, so I think there should be separate entrances for witnesses'.

"Neighbourhood watch schemes could get together and watch the debate live and put in their views from the computer."

Clear ideas

Mr Allen, 49, who has represented Nottingham North since 1987, once sat in government as a member of the government's whip office.

That's when he had sandwiches at Buckingham Palace and acted as whip for the East Midlands.

He does not regret moving from the front benches to the back, as he gets more opportunity to speak his mind.

Mr Allen was born and still lives in his constituency

"When you are in government you self-police and inhibit what you do.

"I think you try to be loyal and impress other people with your capabilities or your conformity."

"Now that I am out of government I can give freer rein to my own thoughts."

And he does have firm and clear ideas.

In September 2002 he started to organise an "unofficial" parliament to debate Britain's role in the Iraq crisis when the prime minister dragged his feet on the issue.

Unchecked executive

He passionately believed the prime minister needed to recall Parliament - and eventually he succeeded.

"Alastair Campbell and his aides realised the unofficial Parliament was going to happen, so the decision was made to have the debate," he said.

The Spectator gave him full credit, saying he was "responsible for the recall of Parliament, in September, to discuss what everyone else was already talking about.

"He is a serious and substantial figure, who is dealing with the constitutional consequences of New Labour," the magazine's editor Boris Johnson, a Tory MP, said.

The office continues to accumulate power which could be quite dangerous on some future occasion

Graham Allen MP

Last year he wrote a book called The Last Prime Minister, published in November, about the need for a directly-elected leader in the UK.

"People pretend we still have a collective leadership - we don't.

"Our prime minister is the strongest, most unchecked chief executive in any western democracy.

"At the moment we are either just decorations in Parliament - or a supporters club for or against the current prime minister with very little control over legislation."

"Because he is unchecked, the office continues to accumulate power which could be quite dangerous on some future occasion."