THE SNP have reacted angrily to press reports suggesting David Cameron is to introduce English Votes for English Laws (Evel) without the scrutiny of Parliament.
Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader at Westminster said it amounted to a “democratic outrage”.
A government source told the Daily Telegraph that they would bring in EVEL by amending the standing orders of the House of Commons.
If true, it would mean the Government could avoid any scrutiny of the measure and rely on their own backbenchers to vote it through.
Robertson, who raised the issue with Speaker of the House of Commons yesterday morning, said it would turn Scotland’s 59 representatives into second-class MPs.
“We could soon see Scottish MPs being given a second-class status in the House of Commons,” he said.
“I have written to the Prime Minister to raise these very serious concerns, and have called for an urgent clarification of the UK Government’s plans.
“The ramifications of Evel would be far-reaching – an issue with such magnitude must be properly considered, scrutinised and debated. We face the prospect of MPs being barred from specific votes, hindering our rights to represent our constituents properly.
“Restricting the voting rights of some MPs could be the single biggest change to the rights of MPs in decades – and doing so without following the appropriate parliamentary procedure is totally unacceptable.”
Responding to Robertson’s comments a Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “Our proposals are about achieving a balanced and fair settlement which gives MPs from across the House a role in making legislation, but ensures English matters are approved by
English MPs, just as Members of the Scottish Parliament have the final say on devolved matters. Ultimately this will be a matter for the House. We will set out further plans shortly.”
If passed, the measures, originally proposed by William Hague, would create a special committee of English MPs who would be the only MPs allowed to make changes to Bills only affecting English voters. According to the Telegraph, this would still allow Scottish MPs to vote on the bills – something Tory backbenchers are keen to see stopped entirely.
Evel was promised in the Tory General Election manifesto and has long been a shibboleth for many of the party’s backbenchers who have bristled at what they perceive to be an unfairness.
The promise to introduce Evel was one of the first announcements Cameron made on the morning after the Scottish independence referendum.
Speaking outside No 10, the Prime Minister said: “We have heard the voice of Scotland – and now the millions of voices of England must also be heard.”
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