CEP: Contrary to their party policy, 20per cent of Tory Parliamentary Candidates support an English Parliament

Contrary to their Party's policy as many as one in five of Prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidates have declared support for England to have its own parliament. This information has come from the Conservative Party itself, from its official blog 'Conservative Home.com., information which was also publicised in the Daily Telegraph.The policy of the Conservative Party under Mr Cameron has been to oppose an English Parliament even though he supports the existence of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly; and in the long-awaited report of his 'Democracy Task Force' headed by Kenneth Clarke MP, which came out on Wednesday July 2nd, the Party's opposition to England having its own parliament was re-affirmed.

'A declaration of support for England to have its own parliament,' said Mr Michael Knowles of the National Council of the Campaign for an English Parliament, 'by 20% of the Conservative Party parliamentary candidates is highly significant. In the light of what is their Leader's unambiguous own position on this matter and the opposition to an English Parliament of their Democracy Task Force, this declaration indicates that the new blood entering the Conservative Parliamentary Party is opening up to fresh thinking and to an awareness that the 1998 Devolution Setllement, which has not only not served England at all, but has trapped it in outdated and uninspiring political and constitutional sytems of government, has to be reconsidered.'

'There have been a telling number of developments in this direction.' Mr Knowles stated. 'In 2006 and 2007 three opinion polls, ICM, Mori and the BBC's own. found an average of 61% of the English population in favour of them having their own parliament. It has emerged only last week that English MPs are now receiving constant complaints in their postbags from their constituents that they are not getting the benefits of devolution which the Scots and the Welsh are getting through their parliament and assembly such as free eye tests, no university tuition fees, free personal care for the elderly, no prescription charges, a freeze on council tax and free hospital parking'

At its meeting in Birmingham on July 19th the National Council of the Campaign for an English Parliament will be considering this development within the Conservative Party. 'A fifth of such an important body of people within the Conservative Party is a very powerful and significant number. In England at the last general election the party received more votes than the Labour Party. There is little doubt that new blood is bringing in more responsive and vote-catching ideas. Far from only seeing problems and difficulties with an English Parliament these new prospective parliamentarians have realised that it will be a new beginning for England, a new source of dynamism and opportunity, which will transform and improve the Union in a most positive way.'


Contacts
Michael Knowles: CEP Media Unit. Tel: 01260 271130 Email: micheal-knowles@tiscali.co.uk
Scilla Cullen. CEP Chairman. Tel: 01438 833155 Email: scilla.cullen@thecep.org.uk