Campaigners for transferring power from the government to Parliament this week celebrated after MPs voted through a package of reforms in defiance of the Labour and Conservative frontbenches.
MPs voted to create a backbench business committee which for the first time will allow ordinary members to have a say in how the parliamentary agenda is arranged, wresting power from the Leader of the House of Commons and their business managers. The reform is one of several recommended by backbencher Tony Wright’s reform committee.
But they also warned that ensuring the reforms are carried out in time for the next Parliament depends on the support of the next government.
Graham Allen, Labour MP for Nottingham North, said: “I’m confident that we need to continue pressure from parliamentarians to carry this through. I imagine that the executive and alternative executive are quite happy with an arrangement where they dominate the legislature.”
“I would have thought that either the outgoing or the incoming government would note the very clear support for a House business committee. We’re just really banking on goodwill rather than having any rights. It’s a rather demeaning position to be in.”
The reform committee of MPs is drafting a standing order for the establishment of a backbench business committee, due by next week. But the decision to set up a more ground-breaking “house business committee” – to timetable government rather than backbench debates, in consultation with ministers – will not be carried out till later this year, and depends on support from the governing party.
Commons Leader Harriet Harman, who made time for the reform debates, initially opposed the idea of a house business committee, but MPs agreed it without a vote.
Tony Wright told Tribune: “It’ll need the same kind of will in the next House of Commons as in this one [to introduce a house business committee]”.
He added that the votes sent out a message: “It said the House is in a mood for doing something quite significant and there’s a mood for change.”
