Left Foot Forward understands that there is increasing discussion among peers in the Lords to seperate the two bills to ensure a May date for the AV referendum.
Left Foot Forward understands that there is increasing discussion among peers within the committee handling the legislation in the Lords to separate the two bills to ensure a May date for the proposed AV referendum.
As originally referenced by the Edinburgh Evening News, with only three meetings of the committee scheduled before the February 17th deadline for Royal Assent, peers are concerned that given their responsibility to revise and scrutinise legislation time has run out to complete full scrutiny of the bill as it stands.
The AV segment, having already been passed by the Lords, could then proceed back to the Commons for a final vote before Royal Assent, whilst the constuency boundary changes legislationĀ could continue later in the session or be rescheduled for a future session.
Peers are concerned that failure to seperate the legislation could result in the entire bill being delayed beyond the Royal Assent deadline ending the chance for a May AV referendum.
Such a separation would vindicate the intitial calls by leading progressives such as former Left Foot Forward Editor Will Straw and Fabian Society General Secretary Sunder Katwala for separate consideration and voting on these two critical constitutional changes.
32 Responses to “Constituency cull plan could be decoupled from AV referendum”
Ti Maher
RT @psbook: AV may pass as separate bill as the constituency boundary changes are stalled in the Lords http://bit.ly/i4Oz6X
Sunder Katwala
RT @leftfootfwd: Constituency cull plan could be decoupled from AV referendum: http://bit.ly/i4Oz6X writes @MarcusARoberts
Tim Moore
RT @niallkellySDLP @psbook: AV may pass as separate bill as constituency boundary changes stall in the Lords http://bit.ly/i4Oz6X >Good news
Doktorb
I have read enough Hansard from the Lords this session to know exactly what this is all about. “Peers block the Bill” is not it at all. “Labour filibuster reform” is exactly what it is. “Left Foot Forward”? More like “One stride backwards”. Very depressing to see reform stalled, once again, at the hands of Labour.
Jeevan Rai
RT @psbook: AV may pass as separate bill as the constituency boundary changes are stalled in the Lords http://bit.ly/i4Oz6X