Straw in u-turn on Lords reform vote
Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw today performed a u-turn and abandoned his proposals to allow MPs to vote on the House of Lords reform using a preferential voting system.
Despite his personal support for an alternate vote ballot, he told the House today that MPs will vote using a traditional division system, following criticism from both sides of the chamber.
Mr Straw admitted that his own enthusiasm for a new system did not appear to be shared by his fellow members and said that he had reflected on the “vocal opposition” over the recess.
He added that he did not want a discussion on procedure to overshadow the more important, substantive issues of House of Lords reform, telling the House: “I think we all are agreed we must not let process get in the way of a reform to which all parties are committed.”
Theresa May welcomed Mr Straw’s u-turn. The shadow leader of the House claimed that his initial proposal would have created a “dangerous constitutional precedent”.
She argued: “A preferential ballot would have taken us into murky constitutional waters. It is a fundamental right of parliament to reject government proposals should it
wish to do so, and the preferential system of voting would have removed that right.”
Ms May claimed that Labour’s proposals would have created an “insufficiently democratic” second chamber and “would mean that a place in the Lords will still be within the gift of the political parties”.
However, the Liberal Democrats described Mr Straw’s announcement as a “great disappointment to everybody who wants to see reform of the House of Lords progress”.
Lib Dem shadow leader of the house David Heath said: “Jack Straw has fallen foul of a Tory party professing a desire for reform but doing all they can to frustrate the means, as well as the jurassic elements in his own party who are no more interested in reform.”
