Former Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael last night won the support of the SNP to secure an emergency debate on the means by which the Government plans to introduce its policy on English Votes for English Laws (Evel).
The party backed Scotland’s only Liberal Democrat MP as he argued more time was needed to scrutinise the Conservatives’ proposal to change the standing orders of the House of Commons instead of using primary legislation.
Speaker John Bercow agreed to cancel today’s scheduled business to make way for a three-hour debate after Mr Carmichael received the required support of 40 MPs.
Mr Carmichael, who exploited a little-used parliamentary procedure to make his request in the chamber, said the scheme outlined by Leader of the House Chris Grayling last week went “well beyond” anything previously proposed or consulted on – including an exclusion of Scottish members from voting on parts of the budget.
Under the plans, a new stage would be introduced for laws passing through parliament – in which English, or English and Welsh MPs will be asked to accept or veto legislation affecting only their constituents – before they continue to a third reading, its final Commons stage.
Mr Carmichael said the Government’s plan might be “technically competent”, but he believed it to be an “abuse of process”.
The Orkney and Shetland MP also warned it would put “unnecessary strain” on the union.
He said: “Obviously I am concerned about the message that this proposal sends to the people of Scotland but, quite apart from that, I happen to think that the people of England deserve better treatment than this.
“Let there be no doubt – we are dealing here with a major constitutional change. It is one which undermines a fundamental principle of the workings of this House – namely that no matter where we come from, once we get here, we are all equal.
“It is constitutionally outrageous and I fear that it puts a further unnecessary strain on the union.”
Welcoming the debate, the SNP’s Pete Wishart, chairman of the Scottish affairs committee, said the Tories’ plans were “falling apart at the seams” and urged the Government to take them off the table completely.