Fury as Government offers three month window to respond to symbolic Commons defeats
2 min read
The Government sparked fury today after it said it could take three months to formally respond to symbolic defeats in the House of Commons.
Andrea Leadsom said such a long wait would allow “thoughtful consideration” after opposition parties have urged a change in government policy.
But her shadow Valerie Vaz blasted the plan while another top Labour MP accused ministers of treating parliament with “contempt”.
The issue arose after the Conservatives whipped their MPs to abstain on a string of opposition tabled motions in the Commons.
Labour forced one debate on Universal Credit to a vote which saw the Government defeated by 0-299 votes.
Speaker John Bercow demanded that the Government explain how it plans to proceed under such circumstances in the wake of the embarrassing defeat.
In a Written Statement today, Ms Leadsom said: “Where a motion tabled by an opposition party has been approved by the House, the relevant Minister will respond to the resolution of the House by making a statement no more than 12 weeks after the debate.
“This is to allow thoughtful consideration of the points that have been raised, facilitate collective discussion across Government, especially on cross-cutting issues, and to outline any actions that have been taken.”
A Labour source told PoliticsHome: “Theresa May has decided to bypass Parliament, ignore the result of the general election and the wishes of the people.
“She does not have a majority in Parliament so has decided just to ignore it. The Prime Minister is in office but not in power.”
Ms Vaz said Ms Leadsom was treating parliament like a combination between “House of Cards and Game of Thrones”.
Shadow Communities Secretary Andrew Gwynne said the move showed “contempt of parliament, contempt of democracy, contempt for the electorate”.
Fire Minister Chris Williamson said the Government was “as incompetent as it is arrogant” and backbencher Grahame Morris said Theresa May was trying to “bypass parliament”.
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