Govt blinks first as Lords standoff ends
Government concessions have ended the Lords’ resistance to the bill implementing the electoral reform referendum this week.
Thomas Strathclyde, the leader of the upper chamber, said a package of measures had been agreed with the opposition.
The development means the referendum on electoral reform, which had been cast into doubt, is all but certain to go ahead on May 5th.
Wednesday will be the final day of debate on the parliamentary voting system and constituencies bill, which must be passed by February 26th for the May vote to take place.
Labour peers had been attempting to prevent the legislation implementing the vote from passing.
Details of the compromise remain sketchy, but the government is believed to have withdrawn its opposition on a number of fronts.
The decision to reduce the size of the Commons from 650 to 600 seats is expected to now face further review rather than being set in stone.
Boundary changes as a result of the equalisation of constituency sizes could be challenged by a public inquiry.
And the equalisation could become more flexible, perhaps allowing a five per cent variation either way.
Earlier constitutional reform minister Mark Harper told the BBC’s Daily Politics programme he was “very happy” to look at the proposals on the table.
Had either side refused to compromise Lord Strathclyde could have chosen to deploy an unprecedented guillotine motion, which would decisively end ongoing debate.
Last week a Lords insider told politics.co.uk that a guillotine might not pass even if the government attempted to force it through, because many traditionalist peers from both sides of the House would resent the precedent-breaking step.
“If such a motion was attempted loyalties all around would be tested,” the source said.
“There would be those would not have the stomach for it, because of the effect it would have in the long-term for Lords procedure.”
Recently ennobled Labour peer Jim Knight wrote on his blog that the opposition would need “near unanimity from the crossbenches and a few rebels on the government side” to defeat a guillotine motion.
“We’ll see,” he added. “Hopefully we’ll have a successful compromise instead. Finger crossed.”
