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…
When a new Speaker is elected by the Commons, the approbation of the monarch is required. Rather than attend in person, the monarch conveys that approbation through a royal commission. MPs are summoned to the bar of the House of Lords and the commission – comprising the Lord Chancellor and the leaders of the parties…
Yesterday, The Sunday Times carried an article by Jack Straw (‘Out with the Lords, in with the Senate’) explaining why he now supports an elected second chamber. Most of the article is taken up discussing the cross-party group he convened to discuss reform. Only in the last third does he offer arguments for an elected second chamber. His…
The Lord Chancellor, Jack Straw, gave evidence to the Constitution Committee in the Lords yesterday. It was a wide-ranging session covering a number of constitutional issues. I put a number of questions to him. The Lord Chancellor knows who I am, and has variously quoted me, but he seems to have problems with my name. …
The State Opening of Parliament is always a grand occasion. We do ceremony extremely well and this morning everything proceeded according to the timetable. The programme lists very precise timings: for example, ‘11.08 The Lord Chancellor proceeds from the Prince’s Chamber to the foot of the Sovereign’s Staircase. 11.11 The Peers appointed to carry the…
