Cameron moves to curtail Scottish MPs' voting powers

David Cameron. Photo / AP

David Cameron has announced that he will fast-track proposals to prevent Scottish MPs voting on English-only issues in the wake of the independence referendum.

The British Prime Minister said that he would provide a decisive answer to the so-called "West Lothian Question" by the time of the next election.

However, Douglas Alexander, a shadow Labour minister, immediately hit out at the plans.

Labour has 40 Scottish MPs and any move to prevent them voting in Parliament on a series of devolved issues would severely impact the party's ability to block or pass laws in future.

Cameron also suggested that similar proposals would in future apply to Welsh and Northern Irish MPs.

He pledged the unionist parties would keep promises made to Scotland in the heat of the referendum campaign.

But he added: "In Wales, there are proposals to give the Welsh Government and Assembly more powers and I want Wales to be at the heart of the debate for how to make our United Kingdom work for all our nations.

"In Northern Ireland, we must work to ensure the devolved institutions function effectively.

"But I have long believed a crucial part missing from this national discussion is England.

"We have heard the voice of Scotland and now the millions of voices of England must also be heard.

"The question of English votes for English laws, the so-called West Lothian Question, requires a decisive answer so just as Scotland will vote separately on their issues of tax, spending and welfare, so too England as well as Wales and Northern Ireland should be able to vote on these issues.

"All this must take place in tandem with and at the same pace as the settlement for Scotland."

William Hague, the Commons Leader, will draw up the detail of the plans, to be discussed in a Cabinet committee, with the same November deadline as that for the detailed proposals for Scotland.

Cameron added: "It is also important we have wider civic engagement about how to improve governance throughout our United Kingdom, including how to empower our great cities. We will say more about this in the coming days."

Alexander, the shadow foreign secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Cameron's announcement struck him as a "fairly knee-jerk reaction which ... may well have been driven more by politics than by a considered judgment of the needs of the constitution".

However, there were signs of a growing Labour split on the issue.

Lord Reid, the former Labour Home Secretary, said: "What the PM said [is] three things, first of all the decision has been taken by the Scottish people that they want to be part of the United Kingdom ... Secondly, however, there is a demand which has been met by a promise for further enhanced powers for Scottish Parliament and a timetable set out for that.

"Let's work on that.

"Thirdly, he said we can't do that without looking at the needs in the reformed club if you like of the other nations, including the English. I happen to think that is perfectly logical and predictable."