A Birmingham MP was accused of failing to help the city improve because he spent too much time being a "love rat".
Labour MP Steve McCabe levelled the accusation in the House of Commons at Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming, a married father of two who had admitted getting his researcher pregnant.
Mr Hemming, aged 45, revealed over the weekend that he had voted for himself in a poll to find the "Love Rat Of The Year".
* What do you think? We want know - get in touch by email, messageboard or feedback form*
But the comment was thrown back at him in Westminster Hall, the second debating chamber of the House of Commons, yesterday.
Mr Hemming (Yardley) was leading a discussion on Strategic Partnerships, which bring together a range of agencies such as police and local councils to tackle deprivation and poverty.
He is chairman of the Birmingham Partnership, which oversees more than £100 million of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund expenditure in the city.
But Birmingham Strategic Partnership has been criticised by official watchdogs, which gave it a rating of amber/red - indicating its performance is below par.
And Mr Hemming's role as chairman has been criticised by Labour MPs who claim he is the wrong person to lead such an important body.
These issues have been raised by Mr McCabe (Hall Green) yesterday, who said: "He is the chairman of his Strategic Partnership, which obviously has had a poor rating from the independent reviewer lately.
"Doesn't he think that as the local MP, a councillor and a self proclaimed candidate for Love Rat of the Year, that maybe he has too much on his plate already?
Mr Hemming responded by pointing out that a Labour MP, Ian Wright in Hartlepool, was chairman of his own local Strategic Partnership.
