House of Lords
Which amendments to the NHS bill would the government accept?
The Lords has been debating the Owen/Hennessy amendment to the NHS bill, which threatens to upset the coalition. Owen and Hennessy have called for the bill to be referred to… Continue reading
5 CommentsDowning Street’s boundary review problem
I understand that Number 10 will lean on Cabinet ministers not to object to what the boundary review does to their seats. This is an intriguing development because at least… Continue reading
24 CommentsManaging the boundary changes
MPs are queuing down the corridor on the first floor of Portcullis House as they try to get hold of a copy of the proposed boundary changes which have just… Continue reading
11 CommentsMore ermine troubles for Nick Clegg
Tory backbenchers have been whispering to the Times (£), and their words will not hearten Nick Clegg. If the coalition pushes for Lords reform, one says, then about 50 of… Continue reading
17 CommentsClegg’s ermine troubles
Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, that much we know. But thanks to the wonders of modern science, we can now poll them on it. Today’s Times carries a survey of… Continue reading
15 CommentsClegg’s great rejuvenator falls a little flat
‘Constitutional reform is a waste of time, pure and simple. It never actually achieves its avowed end of reconnecting the voters with democratic institutions,’ wrote John McTernan, the former advisor… Continue reading
36 CommentsThe Lords punish Cameron over policing
In Number 10, they are already concerned that they are losing public support on crime and punishment. David Cameron is planning to give a speech on the subject that will,… Continue reading
24 CommentsThe Dame departs
Pauline Neville-Jones was a first. She was one of the first women in the Foreign Office to climb the department’s male-dominated ladder, serving as Lord Tugendhat’s chef de cabinet at… Continue reading
19 CommentsAn election before 2015 could soon be illegal
Amazingly, the forces of conservatism derided by Tony Blair, are in the ascendant, their enemies scattering and in retreat. Bin Laden is dead, the oil price tumbling, the Royal Wedding… Continue reading
38 CommentsWeapons-grade Cable
Which Lib Dem can be rudest about the Tories? Chris Huhne, you must admit, gave it a decent shot yesterday, describing his parties’ "extraordinary anger" with their coalition stablemates. Even… Continue reading
58 CommentsHow the recriminations over AV’s defeat will change the debate over Lords reform
It is odd to think that only the second national referendum in our history is only five days away. The combination of the Royal Wedding and the failure of the… Continue reading
32 CommentsThe coalition’s self-repair effort will meet backbench resistance
This week, breakage. Next week, super glue. Given the noises emanating from Downing Street, there’s little doubt that the Tory and Lib Dem leaderships are going to do a repair… Continue reading
21 CommentsLansley and Cameron in the firing line
The coalition’s decision to ‘pause’ its NHS reforms has left an open goal for its opponents, and they’ve been busy tapping the ball into this empty net this morning. At… Continue reading
19 CommentsLords: government not championing European single market "strongly"
Tucked away in an old building, where few people knows of its existence, lives one of the most important parliamentary creatures – the House of Lords European Union Committee. Often… Continue reading
10 CommentsIDS vows to tackle Britain’s welfare addiction
IDS and David Cameron have been evangelising. An insistent newspaper article and pugnacious speeches herald the latest welfare reform drive. There has been one significant u-turn: the threat to decimate… Continue reading
13 CommentsAmending the AV bill
Yesterday, the coalition said it would try and overturn all four of the Lords’ amendments to the AV bill. But today it announced that it would accept the one saying… Continue reading
13 CommentsThe AV referendum hasn’t captured the public’s imagination
It is odd to think that in just a few months we’ll be having only the second nationwide referendum in our history and no one is particularly excited about it.… Continue reading
17 CommentsThe dignified and undiginified parts of the constitution
There’s a febrile atmosphere in Westminster tonight. The coalition is poised for a frontal assault on the privileges of the House of Lords and there is an expectation that today’s dramatic developments in… Continue reading
21 CommentsThe Lib Dems reject Ed Miliband’s overtures (again)
What a joy it is to watch Ed Miliband contort and twist so that he can offer a hand of friendship to the Lib Dems. It has been a three-act… Continue reading
9 CommentsWe await their lordships
The May 5th date for the AV referendum is under threat because the bill paving the way for it might not get through the House of Lords in time. The… Continue reading
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