Lords reform: William Hague says vote is test of Labour convictions:
Foreign secretary accuses party of wanting to obstruct plans for political reasons despite being in favour of Lords reform
William Hague has sought to turn the spotlight on to Labour before a crucial vote on Lords reform on Tuesday, insisting the vote would serve as a test on whether opposition MPs have the "courage of their convictions".
The foreign secretary accused Labour of seeking to obstruct Nick Clegg's plans for reform for political reasons, despite being in favour of it, amid fears the government is braced for a potentially damaging Commons defeat.
The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is planning to support the House of Lords reform bill at its second reading. But he is ordering Labour MPs to join forces with Tory rebels, 74 of whom signed a letter denouncing the reforms, to vote down a "programme motion" for the bill.
Fears that the most wide-ranging Lords reforms in a century will be thrown off course prompted the former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy to make an impassioned plea to Labour MPs to join a "progressive alliance" to defeat Tory rebels who want to block reform.
A defeat for Clegg would throw the coalition into one of its gravest crises. Clegg has warned David Cameron in private that he may block his plans to reduce the House of Commons from 650 to 600 MPs if he believes the Tories have failed to do enough to persuade their MPs to support his reforms.
Despite the letter signed by Conservative MPs opposing the reforms, Hague told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Tuesday that "the bulk of the Conservative party" supported the bill.
"This is something supported by most of the Liberal Democrat party and the bulk of the Conservative party and huge numbers of people in principle in the Labour party," he added.
"Can that create difficulties in a coalition? Of course it can, but we have had issues like that before."
He accused Labour of "opposition for opposition's sake" in its decision to vote against the programme motion despite supporting the reforms.
"There are many, many people in the Labour party – perhaps a great majority – who are in favour of this sort of reform and if they had the courage of their convictions they would be voting for the programme motion as well and then we would achieve a reform. This is the test tonight of whether it's opposition for opposition's sake for the Labour party. Not just a test for the coalition," Hague said.
He added: "If everybody who is in favour of reform voted for it – not only in principle but for sensible discussion of it – and if they don't well, the next parliament will spend time on it and the parliament after that."
But Hague's claim of wide Tory support for the reforms was panned by Jesse Norman, one of the MPs who organised Monday's letter raising concerns about the plans. Norman tweeted: "Not true that the bulk of the parliamentary Con party is pro elected Lords. True number is about 40."
At least two ministerial aides are expected to resign or be sacked on Tuesday when they rebel against the government. Conor Burns, aide to the Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, and Angie Bray, aide to Francis Maude, have said they will join the rebels.
Efforts to sway Conservatives to vote with the government have provoked the public ire of at least one MP.
Nicholas Soames, grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, hit back at a suggestion made by Mark Harper, the constitutional reform minister, on Monday that the wartime leader wanted peers elected to large constituencies.
Soames said the Tory minister had "absolutely no right" to make the claim in defence of the "pernicious" legislation.
He told the Today programme: "It is true that when he was a very young man, when he was a member of the Liberal party, he did take a very strong line on the House of Lords, which as he went through his parliamentary life he revised his views and came to the conclusion the Lords were a thoroughly important and worthwhile part of parliament and that they should be treated as such."
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Foreign secretary accuses party of wanting to obstruct plans for political reasons despite being in favour of Lords reform
William Hague has sought to turn the spotlight on to Labour before a crucial vote on Lords reform on Tuesday, insisting the vote would serve as a test on whether opposition MPs have the "courage of their convictions".
The foreign secretary accused Labour of seeking to obstruct Nick Clegg's plans for reform for political reasons, despite being in favour of it, amid fears the government is braced for a potentially damaging Commons defeat.
The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is planning to support the House of Lords reform bill at its second reading. But he is ordering Labour MPs to join forces with Tory rebels, 74 of whom signed a letter denouncing the reforms, to vote down a "programme motion" for the bill.
Fears that the most wide-ranging Lords reforms in a century will be thrown off course prompted the former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy to make an impassioned plea to Labour MPs to join a "progressive alliance" to defeat Tory rebels who want to block reform.
A defeat for Clegg would throw the coalition into one of its gravest crises. Clegg has warned David Cameron in private that he may block his plans to reduce the House of Commons from 650 to 600 MPs if he believes the Tories have failed to do enough to persuade their MPs to support his reforms.
Despite the letter signed by Conservative MPs opposing the reforms, Hague told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Tuesday that "the bulk of the Conservative party" supported the bill.
"This is something supported by most of the Liberal Democrat party and the bulk of the Conservative party and huge numbers of people in principle in the Labour party," he added.
"Can that create difficulties in a coalition? Of course it can, but we have had issues like that before."
He accused Labour of "opposition for opposition's sake" in its decision to vote against the programme motion despite supporting the reforms.
"There are many, many people in the Labour party – perhaps a great majority – who are in favour of this sort of reform and if they had the courage of their convictions they would be voting for the programme motion as well and then we would achieve a reform. This is the test tonight of whether it's opposition for opposition's sake for the Labour party. Not just a test for the coalition," Hague said.
He added: "If everybody who is in favour of reform voted for it – not only in principle but for sensible discussion of it – and if they don't well, the next parliament will spend time on it and the parliament after that."
But Hague's claim of wide Tory support for the reforms was panned by Jesse Norman, one of the MPs who organised Monday's letter raising concerns about the plans. Norman tweeted: "Not true that the bulk of the parliamentary Con party is pro elected Lords. True number is about 40."
At least two ministerial aides are expected to resign or be sacked on Tuesday when they rebel against the government. Conor Burns, aide to the Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, and Angie Bray, aide to Francis Maude, have said they will join the rebels.
Efforts to sway Conservatives to vote with the government have provoked the public ire of at least one MP.
Nicholas Soames, grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, hit back at a suggestion made by Mark Harper, the constitutional reform minister, on Monday that the wartime leader wanted peers elected to large constituencies.
Soames said the Tory minister had "absolutely no right" to make the claim in defence of the "pernicious" legislation.
He told the Today programme: "It is true that when he was a very young man, when he was a member of the Liberal party, he did take a very strong line on the House of Lords, which as he went through his parliamentary life he revised his views and came to the conclusion the Lords were a thoroughly important and worthwhile part of parliament and that they should be treated as such."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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