Constitution Inquiry Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Cabinet Office

Constitution Inquiry

Lord Wallace of Saltaire Excerpts
Monday 14th June 2021

(3 years, 5 months ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord True Portrait Lord True (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My Lords, the Government will continue to apply the law of the land until the law of the land is changed.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire Portrait Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD)
- Hansard - -

My Lords, the commitment to constitutional integrity and the absolute sovereignty of the UK Parliament comprise a piece of legal purism which I think the Government would criticise if the European Commission displayed such a tendency. Does the Minister recognise that the commitment to absolute UK sovereignty was what led to the division of Ireland? Does he not accept that insistence on it with regard to Northern Ireland and Scotland now is likely to lead to further division?

Lord True Portrait Lord True (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

No, my Lords, I do not agree. We currently have a constitutional settlement in which there are reserved and devolved matters. I think we all believe that devolution has benefited the United Kingdom, and the Government’s priority—as the priority of all of us should be—is to make that work in amity and with commonality, as we were reminded earlier.