SNP MPs have staged a House of Commons protest over “undemocratic” voting rules.
Nationalist MPs alleged that the UK Government had “actively prevented” them from voting on legislation which had cash ramifications for Scotland.
SNP Westminster chief whip Patrick Grady accused the Tory government of “creating two classes” of MP after the party was prevented from voting on the NHS Funding Bill under English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) legislation.
Went to vote with @theSNP colleagues on NHS funding bill – which has big implications for Scotland – and was confronted by this in the lobby. Clerks have recorded my vote as “ineligible “. Time to scrap this undemocratic nonsense #scrapEVEL pic.twitter.com/QqwNLzSuqw
— Tommy Sheppard MP (@TommySheppard) February 4, 2020
The EVEL legislation, introduced in 2016, means that when a bill is deemed to only affect England or Wales, only MPs for English – or English and Welsh – constituencies can vote.
Mr Grady said: “Four days after the UK leaves the EU and the Tory government chooses to display its love for the precious Union on these islands by creating two classes of members in the House of Commons.
“Those who can amend legislation and those who can’t, well thank you, thank so much, because the polls are showing that support for independence in Scotland has reached 52% and growing, and that is not going to go away.
“Constituents in Scotland will be watching today’s proceedings and wanting to know why their MPs are not allowed to vote on amendments that could increase health spending, not just here in England, but across the whole of the UK.”
This afternoon we will vote on the NHS funding bill that has spending consequences for Scotland. It has been deemed England only with signs put up in the voting lobbies. There is an answer to this, we can have independence if they want an English Parliament. pic.twitter.com/X50OENCQUx
— Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) February 4, 2020
SNP constitution spokesman Pete Wishart added: “I understand that the England-only signs are already in the lobbies. England-only signs in the UK Parliament of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“What does that say to people from Scotland, what does that say about the fact that this is a Bill that determines so much of our health spending in Scotland. Surely the days of EVEL have to come to and end, we cannot got on like this.”
Cabinet minister Michael Gove branded the SNP’s actions a “transparent stunt”.
Speaking in the Commons, he said: “Is it not the case that health is a devolved matter, the responsibility for the NHS in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament.
“Is it the case that, therefore, members of this House have no votes or say in what happens in the NHS in Scotland and is it not appropriate to point out to SNP members that while they stage these stunts here, it is the case that the sick children’s hospital in Edinburgh for which they are responsible remains closed and cases of poisoning in hospitals in Glasgow for which they are responsible remain undealt with.
“Until the Scottish Government makes sure that the health of the people of Scotland is looked after, the people of Scotland will regard this as a transparent stunt by people who instead of representing their constituents seek to manufacture grievance.”
