Falconer: Change will ‘weaken the Commons’
Charles Falconer, Labour peer, explains on the Today programme his attempts to refer the parliamentary voting system and constituency bill to a Lords committee:
“We support the idea of a referendum for people to decide on a new voting system… but not the redrawing of the boundaries.
“They’re reducing the number of MPs by 50 for no real basis, which I think will have a detrimental effect on our politics… we’ll have a weaker House of Commons.
“If you keep the govt the same size and take away 50 backbenchers surely that is going to weaken the strength of the Commons.
“I’ve got no problem about there being a proper referendum on an appropriate date. Why does that need to be hustled through the House.”
