Conservatives deny they plan West Lothian veto
By Richard Chidwick
The Conservatives deny they are planning to give a veto to English and Welsh MPs over legislation applying only to their countries.
Times columnist Matthew Paris wrote today of the Tories’ manifesto that a promise on such a veto appears to be buried on page 84.
He went on “This would give the parliamentary Conservative Party control for. well. forever over about half of what a UK government actually does (health, education, justice, police for example) and would surely be politically impossible for a future Labour government to remove. Or have I misunderstood?”
The clauses in question in the Conservative manifesto actually say: “Labour has refused to address the so-called ‘West Lothian Question’: the unfair situation of Scottish MPs voting on matters which are devolved.
“A Conservative government will introduce new rules so that legislation referring especially to England, or to England and Wales, cannot be enacted without the consent of MPs representing constituencies of those countries.”
A spokeswoman for the Conservative party said the proposal would only prevent Scottish MPs voting on issues at the reporting and committee stage of a bill which affects only England or England and Wales.
She said: “When the bill comes back to the chamber, all MPs would vote, but it would be a ‘take it or leave it’ vote, with no amendments, so they could have their say but not negotiate over bills which do not affect their constituents.”
She added that the policy was developed by former chancellor Ken Clarke’s democracy taskforce.
The group also wants to ensure MPs from Wales and Northern Ireland also lose some powers over English-only measures.
Shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert said they would “introduce greater fairness”.
