Labour has proposed to give English MPs a greater say over Westminster legislation in a way that would not “jeopardise” the future of the Union.
The party moved yesterday to flesh out its position on English votes for English laws (Evel) amid claims that the Conservatives have orchestrated a “stitch up” on the issue.
Within an hour of the result of Scotland’s independence referendum on September 19, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Evel would have to be addressed at the same time as further Scottish devolution.
The move has given Labour a major headache, because it has traditionally had a large group of MPs from Scotland and Wales, and could find it difficult to govern in the future if those MPs were not able to vote on key issues that mainly affect England.
Shadow cabinet ministers Hilary Benn and Sadiq Khan have now said that it would be possible to “strengthen England’s voice” at Westminster by creating an English-only committee stage for Bills.
The plan – which they insist would not leave Scots with second-class representatives – was suggested by former Commons clerk Sir William McKay in his report on the issue, commissioned by the UK Government.
In a joint article, Mr Benn and Mr Khan said: “Done in the right way, this would be a sensible reform which would strengthen England’s voice without ending up creating two classes of MP, and it must now be considered as part of the constitutional convention process.”
Labour has called for a detailed constitutional convention to address the way the country is governed, and the two shadow cabinet ministers criticised Mr Cameron’s push for a faster change.
“What we must not do is inadvertently undermine the union of nations that is the United Kingdom,” they said.
“Hasty proposals, drawn up in a secret Whitehall committee chaired by a former Tory leader, as David Cameron is doing, is not the right way to go about it. It just won’t wash with the British public.
“Nor will we jeopardise the future of the Union for narrow advantage, especially when so many people have fought so hard recently to preserve it.”