Tory plan to force through EVEL advances

As reported earlier this week, a group of Conservative MPs are keen to get English votes for English laws sorted as soon as possible. Bill Cash has sent William Hague a change to the standing orders of the House of Commons which would enforce this principle immediately. He has also written to party colleagues asking for their support on this, and says he has heard sympathetic noises from the party leadership on the idea too (although it depends who you talk to as to how sympathetic the noises sound).

Cash told Coffee House that it was imperative that the government avoided bringing in EVEL through legislation as it would almost certainly end up with a Supreme Court challenge. He said:

‘This has the advantage of being within the framework of the UK Parliament: now we have saved the union, it is an inherent power of the UK Parliament to regulate its own affairs, including voting.

‘It is very simple and it does in a few lines, it sets out the solution with inherently has to be dealt with because it’s inherently unfair. And now over 70 per cent believe it is unfair. This change also has the major advantage of being understood by the public and easily explained.’

The Tory MP says he wouldn’t force a vote on this on the floor of the House of Commons if his party leadership doesn’t take it up. But that doesn’t mean that his colleagues won’t.

You can read the full letter from Cash here.

Dear Colleague,

Because clearly not everyone was able to attend the meeting today, I thought you might like to see the letter I tabled at the meeting which is based on the concept of fairness, the UK Parliament having agreed to devolve the functions to the devolved territories but not having resolved the English question, although the Party has argued for this in successive manifestos. The amendment has been formally submitted to William Hague as Chairman of the committee considering this. There may be some tweaking on the Welsh dimension.

With best wishes, yours ever,

Bill

Sir William Cash MP

 

Dear Colleague,

On the question of Scottish members voting on exclusively English matters and where under the Scotland Act, Scotland has devolved functions conferred by the UK Parliament, there is agreement in the Party that the Prime Minister is completely right in insisting on ‘English votes for English laws’.

There has been much discussion about the means of achieving this, some of it very complicated and with uncertain results. I have, in consultation with colleagues, drafted the enclosed simple amendment, as below, which I have had vetted at the very highest level as a means of dealing with the English Question.

I am setting out below the whole of Standing Order 39 with the proposed amendment in italics, for your consideration and discussion.

With best wishes, yours ever,

Bill

Sir William Cash MP

Amendment to Standing Order 39

39.—(1) A Member may vote in a division although he did not hear the question put.

(2) A Member is not obliged to vote.

(3)

(a) Where a Bill, or any provision in a Bill, or part of a Bill, or a Motion, is expressly stated to apply only to England, and the Speaker or, in Committee, the Chair before the commencement of business rules that this Standing Order applies, he shall declare which category of Member may vote in any division and that a Member representing a constituency in a part of the United Kingdom to which legislative power has been devolved may speak but not vote in proceedings relating to that devolved matter.

(b) “Devolved matter” means matter in respect of which legislation has been enacted devolving the exercise of functions to a Parliament or Assembly within the United Kingdom.