UNITED KINGDOM


The proposals gained support from many on the Conservative side of the House. For example, Rt Hon. John Redwood MP, said it addressed “the problem that devolution has posed” whereby Members of Scottish Parliament could vote for lower income tax in Scotland, whilst Scottish Members of Parliament voted for higher income tax for the rest of the UK. However, the proposals attracted hostility from the opposition parties. The Leader was also criticised for introducing them at speed and without cross-party consultation. The Shadow Leader of the House, Angela Eagle MP (Lab), described the Leader’s proposal for a debate before the summer recess as “an outrage” and described the proposals themselves as “rushed and partisan”. For the Scottish National Party, Pete Wishart MP described them as “constitutional bilge and unworkable garbage”. On 6 July 2015 the Speaker and the House agreed to a request by the Liberal Democrat Member, Alistair Carmichael MP to have an emergency debate on the proposals. The debate was held the following day. The debate took place on the neutral motion that “This House has considered the means by which the Government seeks to deliver the objectives outlined by the Leader of the House in his Statement on English Votes on English Laws.” Nonetheless, at the end of the debate the Opposition parties called a vote. The Government abstained from the vote and the motion was defeated by 291 votes to 2. The Government has since revised its proposals and intends to bring them back to the House at a later date.


The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Three | 235


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