Devolution (Scotland Referendum)

Caroline Dinenage Excerpts

Tuesday 14th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Pete Wishart]

rose—

[Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

rose—

[Sadiq Khan]

I give way to the hon. Lady.

[Caroline Dinenage]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for giving way. I represent a constituency in the south of England; he might be aware of it—it is a place without very many Labour MPs. He keeps talking about this being a Westminster stitch-up—something coming down from Westminster—and saying that there is no requirement for it and there is nothing that is being driven bottom-up from the people in the constituencies, but I get letters about this every day of every week: English people want English votes.

[Sadiq Khan]

I did not say there was not an issue; I have said there is an issue, but I am also saying there are other issues as well, and rather than us imposing a solution, we should be speaking to the people who are raising those concerns. There are other issues as well. How can it be that we have a Parliament that is fully appointed—completely unelected—with 85% from the hon. Lady’s part of the country and London? That is unacceptable.