What is English Votes for English Laws and why was it introduced?

In a severe shift from the Tory line only a few short years ago, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove today said the law had “not served our Parliament well” and called for it to be removed.

The mechanism was suspended in April last year to simplify Commons proceedings during the pandemic but this move would see it made permanent.

What is English Votes for English Laws?

"We have heard the voice of Scotland and now the millions of voices of England must be heard," then prime minister David Cameron said following the 2014 independence referendum.

READ MORE: EVEL: UK Government to scrap 'appalling' English Votes for English Laws system

The legislation aimed to answer the so-called “West Lothian Question” in which English MPs could not vote on devolved matters while Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland MPs were able to vote on England-only matters.

Evel was then featured in the 2015 Tory manifesto in which the party gained a majority of seats at Westminster.

The law was passed in the same year by 312 to 270 votes which saw English, or English and Welsh, MPs allowed to accept or veto legislation that affects only their constituents before it passed to a third reading, its final commons stage.

Scottish MPs could still vote on laws applying only in England, though such bills would require a double majority – consisting of all MPs and of those representing English constituencies.

In essence, it prevented the possibility that laws on England-only matters could be passed without the support of a majority of English MPs.

At the time Labour accused the UK Government of using "procedural tricky" to artificially manufacture a larger majority and argued the law would “reduces Scotland's voice at Westminster and strengthens Tories' grip on power”.

There was concern over the complicated and technical nature of the law by even some Tories at the time.

One of the trickier tasks was what constituted an English law. The SNPs argued that while many pieces of legislation appear to impact England only had huge knock-on effects for Scotland.

The legislation followed campaigns and attack ads by Tories portraying a deal between Labour and the SNP likely – with the SNP being seen as a kingmaker on laws seen only to impact England.

READ MORE: Michael Gove plans to scrap Evel in bid to stop Scottish independence

Labour had historically performed better in Scotland and there was fear from Tories that Labour would rely on votes from Scottish MPs in any future government to pass English-related legislation.

In 2014, Nicola Sturgeon suggested Evel put Scotland a step closer to independence but the Tories believed it was only fair that as English MPs couldn’t vote on Scottish education or health, neither should Scottish MPs be allowed to sway a vote on English education or health.

Pete Wishart agreed, saying: “Scotland is watching this, and the mood is darkening.”

It now appears Boris Johnson’s government agrees with this stance as the vote coindices with the Tories’ plans to unite the Union.