The West Lothian Question. Is it time for an English Parliament?

9.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 7th Jul 2008

Ken Clarke last week came up with his answer, and possibly the Conservatives answer to the West Lothian question. I am fairly sure Ken has got it wrong - his quite complex answer (below) doesn't actually stop Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MP's from voting on English only legislation, so it is time for an English Parliament? I think so.

Ken Clarke's answer to the West Lothian question is to not allow Scottish MPs to vote on the line-by-line consideration of English Bills but still allow them to vote on the end Bill. Okay it's not that complex, but it is bonkers being allowed to vote at some stages and not others.

The West Lothian question first posed in the 1970s by the former Labour MP and anti-devolutionist, Tam Dalyell, tasked how Scottish MPs at Westminster could have the right to vote on matters relating solely to England when English MPs had no say over matters devolved to the Scottish parliament. Ken's solution doesn't answer this.

The only answer I can see is to allow only English MPs to vote on English Bills, effectively an English Parliament. I am not calling for a new institution, why not just have the English MPs in the Westminster Parliament stay on an extra day or day and a half each week and let the Scots, Welsh and Irish go back to their constituencies - de facto one English Parliament.