There were over forty speakers in yesterday’s Second Reading debate on the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill. The various delays to the Bill – introduced a year after the Joint Committee on the Bill had reported and taking seven months before being brought from the Commons – was roundly criticised from all parts of the…
The Easter recess dates have been announced and we now seem to be working to the following timetable. The House rises for the Easter recess on Tuesday 30 March. It returns on Tuesday 6 April, when it is assumed the election will be announced, with ‘wash-up’ taking place from then until Thursday 8 April. Parliament…
Justice Secretary Jack Straw appeared before the Constitution Committee yesterday for his annual meeting with the committee. One of the issues he was pressed on was the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill. As I pointed out, the Bill was getting bigger and bigger as the time to deal with it got less and less. The…
The parties have begun what amounts to a long election campaign. There has to be an election before early June at the latest. The assumption is that the election will be on 6 May. That means that the number of parliamentary legislative days between now and dissolution is limited. However, within the Palace the legislative…
