Corbyn accuses Tories of bid to 'rig Parliament' with committee changes
The Government is already embroiled in controversy over powers in key Brexit legislation that critics brand a "power grab".
Friday 8 September 2017 14:11, UK
Labour has said a Government plan to award itself majorities on key legislative committees amounts to an attempt to "rig Parliament".
It comes amid ongoing controversy over powers contained in the EU Withdrawal Bill, which opposition parties have described as a "power grab".
The latest proposals, tabled by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, look set to further fuel accusations the Government is undermining the democratic process as it battles to deliver Brexit.
The motion put forward proposes changing parliamentary rules so that "where a committee has an odd number of members, the Government shall have a majority".
This has major significance when it comes to the little-known but powerful Committee of Selection, which decides which MPs sit on the standing committees that scrutinise legislative bills.
Conventionally, the party political representation on the Committee of Selection reflects the results of the last election.
Given Theresa May failed to win an overall majority at the 8 June election, the anticipated make-up of this nine-member committee would be four Conservative MPs, four Labour MPs and one Scottish National Party MP.
However, the motion put forward by Ms Leadsom would ensure five MPs on the Committee of Selection would be Conservatives.
The PM's spokesman said: "The Government has a majority on the floor on the House, therefore, it is perfectly legitimate ...that we should have a majority on the committee."
The spokesman added: "The Government has a programme of business it wants to get through in a timely manner and MPs get to vote on it on Tuesday.
"We believe these are common sense proposals."
In a tweet, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the move was "an unprecedented attempt to rig parliament and grab power by a Conservative government with no majority and no mandate".
When challenged by reporters on why a minority government should have the right to a majority on the committees, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the government had a "majority on the floor of the House".
MPs will vote on the committee proposals next Tuesday evening, while on Monday they will be asked to vote on the second reading of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill.
The Government has faced criticism from the opposition and some within the Conservative party over clauses in that Bill which would give Ministers sweeping powers to amend regulations as they are transposed from EU law into domestic law.
The Brexit Secretary says such powers are a practical necessity to ensure there is a functioning statute book once the UK leaves the EU, but critics argue it would mean changes would not receive sufficient parliamentary scrutiny.
Labour's shadow Commons Leader Valerie Vaz told The Independent the combination of the proposals to change the make-up of committees and the repeal bill should worry voters.
"On Monday the Government are seeking the power to change the law by ministerial edict and on Tuesday they will try to sideline opposition in Parliament by rigging the committee system so that they are guaranteed a majority they didn't secure at the ballot box.
Mark Tami, a Labour MP and a member of the Committee for Selection said: "Andrea Leadsom seems to be suggesting this is a minor issue, but it's not minor at all - if you fix the Committee for Selection, you effectively fix the rest".
"I would hope some Conservative constitutionalists might think this is a step too far, but they've been pretty quiet recently".