Tax Credits

David T C Davies Excerpts

Tuesday 27th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Dr Liam Fox (North Somerset) (Con)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Across the House there is a great deal of genuine concern about the implications of the events in the unelected Chamber last night, and many of us would welcome your initial view on the constitutional implications of that. Many of us believe that those with no accountability for taxation have a moral duty not to vote on such issues, and many of us would go further and believe that it is a bit rich to question, for example, the democratic deficit in the European Union when we have an unelected and appointed Chamber as part of our own legislature.

[David T. C. Davies (Monmouth) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Just before I respond to the right hon. Gentleman, I will hear the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies).

[David T. C. Davies]

Further to that point of order, Mr Speaker. I looked through the Standing Orders last night and discovered that what the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) called an “unelected, unaccountable and somewhat bloated” second Chamber actually has no power at all to reject European Union treaties, such as that on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, but it seems that it does have the power to reject the will of this elected House. As a doughty defender of elected Members of Parliament, will you issue guidance as to how we may ensure that the will of this elected House prevails?

[Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab)]

rose—