The dropping of a crucial reform of parliamentary procedure, which would give backbenchers more power over legislative debate, has come under fire from a leading constitutional commentator.
Meg Russell, deputy director of the highly-regarded constitution unit at University College London, has called on party leaders to commit to restoring the measure, which was "quietly dropped" at the end of the final parliamentary session.
The proposal, to create a backbench business committee, would have give backbench MPs more power over scheduling business in the Commons chamber, is a crucial reform and dropping it raises "serious questions", according to Russell, not only about government's respect for parliament, but about the integrity of parliament itself.
Russell says MPs had already agreed on the proposal, in a "rare and genuine victory for backbenchers of all parties against the frontbench machines" and describes the dropping of the reform as "anorakish stuff" - but as cutting to the "heart of our democracy".
She is calling for public commitments from all three party leaders to support this key democratic reform.
From Bubb's Blog
From Whitehall Watch
