89 WASTED WEEKS

The Government have ‘pontificated and procrastinated’ for 89 weeks, since publishing draft cross-party proposals for reform of the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat spokesman, Paul Tyler, said this week. 

Challenging the Justice Minister, Lord Bach, he said, “There was cross-party agreement in the group that led to the 2008 White Paper on this issue.  Does he recognise that was 89 weeks ago?  What have he and his fellow Ministers at the Ministry of Justice been doing all this time.” 

Lord Tyler referred to the recent leaks that Jack Straw was about to publish draft legislation and asked for confirmation.  However, in response, the Minister evaded, noting simply that some backbench members of the Lords were not happy with the cross-party proposals. 

ELECTORAL REFORM:  ARE THEY SERIOUS?

Liberal Democrat Constitutional Affairs Spokesman, Lord Tyler, today (Wednesday) challenged Ministers to fulfil their 1997 commitment to a referendum on a proportional electoral system. 

In a mini House of Lords debate, the former Shadow Leader of the Commons asked when the promise would be kept and why Gordon Brown had refused to make progress for want of ‘consensus’ with the Conservatives.  Speaking for the Government, Lord Tunnicliffe said Labour would offer people a referendum to choose between First Past the Post and the Alternative Vote. 

He went on to admit that the Government had U-turned and had effectively broken its promise.  “The 1997 manifesto had a commitment to put a proportional alternative in a referendum,” he said.  “During that Government there was…the Jenkins report, new voting systems were tried, and a great deal of learning took place. Neither the 2001 nor the 2005 manifestos had any reference to proportionality, which requires multi-Member constituencies or two classes of MPs.  That would destroy the clear central theme of the House of Commons and the link between the single Members, all of whom are a common class with their constituencies.”  

BROWN RETREATS ON REFORM 

Gordon Brown appeared to back away from his commitment to a referendum on electoral reform today (Thursday) as his Minister in the Lords refused to confirm that there would be legislation in this Parliament. 

In a special House of Lords debate called by Liberal Democrat Peers, the party’s Constitutional Affairs spokesman, Lord Tyler challenged Justice Minister Lord Bach directly, “Are they going to legislate now?”

“I did not say that,” he responded.