With the prospect of a further devolution of powers to Scotland, the introduction of English votes for English laws (EVEL) is both fair and necessary.
In September 2014 during the referendum campaign, the government agreed additional powers for Scotland if the Scots voted to stay in the union. The success of the SNP in the 2015 general election makes such a significant transfer of powers even more certain. This makes addressing the so-called ‘West Lothian question’ an absolute priority. Raised in 1977 by Tam Dalyell MP (whose constituency was West Lothian), the parliamentary question asked how it could be fair that MPs from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were able to vote on matters which would not affect their constituents while English MPs had no such power over policy in these regions.
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