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Friday, 13 February 2015

English Votes for English Issues - William Hague sets out the Conservative Party position post Scots devolution

I support William Hague's plans to revise the voting rules to ensure Scottish MPs do not hold the rest of the country to account.
Full details are set out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31099106

It is fundamentally wrong that Scottish MPs should decide how things such as schools and the health service are run in England, when English MPs have no such say over how they are run in Scotland.
I cannot see how this can continue to be justified as devolution continues to expand the Scottish governments powers.

How Hague's plan would work
  • Before a Bill or parts of a Bill affecting only England, or England and Wales, is put to its final Commons vote, English and in some cases Welsh MPs would meet separately to consider it.
  • The Bill could not proceed without the backing of a majority of this English Grand Committee
  • In addition, only MPs for English constituencies (and Welsh seats where relevant) would be allowed to take part in the committee stage, where the fine details are thrashed out and amendments proposed.
  • But MPs from all parts of the UK would be entitled to take part in the final Commons vote passing the Bill into law.