Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Cabinet Office

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011

Lord Naseby Excerpts
Tuesday 24th October 2017

(7 years ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Lord Young of Cookham
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Yet again, we have a plea from the Liberal Democrat Benches to go back on an agreement which they were party to. When we passed the legislation in this House, the date of 2018 was endorsed by members of the noble Lord’s party. Basically, this is special pleading to revisit a measure that, if everyone was sensible, they would put their minds behind this and just get on with it.

Lord Naseby Portrait Lord Naseby (Con)
- Hansard - -

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that when I stood for a marginal seat, despite the efforts of Mr Callaghan to postpone a review of the boundaries, nevertheless I won my seat? Later, there was another review and I lost my seat. Against that background, it is not vital for all of us who believe in democracy to try to hit the target of each voter’s vote being of equal weight?

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Lord Young of Cookham
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My noble friend came into the other place on the same day as me. My majority that year was 808—I am not sure whether that was more or less than his—and my seat was also subsequently abolished. My noble friend has put far more eloquently than I did a few moments ago the imperative of getting on with legislation that has been through both places to ensure that the next election is fought on up-to-date boundaries, not on boundaries that date back to the year 2000.