Conservatives ‘would not accept Labour victory with Scots MPs’
CONSERVATIVE MPs would not accept a Labour UK Government following a Yes vote if Ed Miliband’s majority next year was based on the number of Labour’s Scottish MPs.
Such a scenario would cause “a constitutional riot” said one senior Tory backbencher while another insisted the Conservative Party would regard such a Labour government as “illegitimate from day one.”
The possible electoral and constitutional consequences of a Yes vote are now being mulled over by Conservatives, who are already expressing resentment at the way the Coalition has tacitly backed enhanced powers for Holyrood supported by the three main UK parties; tacitly, because to do so officially would break purdah rules.
One Tory MP branded it “appeasement” to the SNP.
Right-wing eurosceptic John Redwood, the former Welsh Secretary, has issued advice to David Cameron on what should happen in the event of a Yes vote.
This includes passing a new law that would say something along the lines of: “Scottish members of the Westminster Parliament will no longer vote on any matter not applying to Scotland and will take no part in settling the response of the rest JOHN REDWOOD: He advised the PM to cancel the 2015 election of the UK to Scottish withdrawal.”
The Berkshire MP goes on: “It would also cancel the May 2015 General Election in Scotland. Current Scottish MPs would continue their residual functions until the split of the kingdoms is completed. There is no need to delay the General Election in the rest of the UK. The remaining Scottish MPs would be excluded from calculating the majority and would not be eligible to be ministers.”
Earlier this week, Christopher Chope, the Conservative MP for Christchurch, noted that since 2012 it had been UK Government policy not to offer so-called devomax and asked William Hague, the Commons Leader, when and why did it change. The Minister replied that the Coalition had always looked favourably on devolving more power where it could.
But yesterday, Mark Field, the Tory MP for the City of London, claimed the enhanced offer on more powers for Holyrood would cause resentment in other parts of the UK.
“We don’t know quite what exactly devo-max type powers have now been offered as a lastgasp attempt to ensure the UK stays together. It really is an appeasement to a large extent to the SNP but this short-termist thinking is no way to conduct what is fundamental constitutional change within the UK,” he complained.
Mr Field said there had been a “creeping resentment” south and west of the border about the “raw deal” England, Wales and Northern Ireland were getting on devolution when Scotland was set to get even more powers.
Meantime, Nick Clegg has accepted there will need to be a “rewiring” of the constitution following the planned new deal for Scotland.
Launching a report by the IPPR North think-tank, which calls for “metro mayors” for city regions and more powers to vary local council taxes, the Deputy Prime Minister will say there is a need for greater decentralisation from London.