Coalition Government Defeated in the Lords
The Coalition Government has suffered its first defeat.
In an obscure procedural move, peers backed a motion that blocked the second reading of the Local Government Bill....
The bill was to block the creation of planned new unitary authorities in Norwich, Exeter, Ipswich and elsewhere....
Peers backed Lord Howarth's motion by 154 to 150.
Yes, that's Baron Howarth of Newport, former MP for Newport in the County of Gwent, blocking a Government bill on English unitary authorities. Of course, it must be pointed out that the Lords is not territorial, so Lord Howarth does not represent the people of Newport, and so therefore he has as much right to vote on English issues as any Lord whose peerage is gazetted to a location in England.
This will change when the Lords becomes elected and the Upper West Lothian Question comes into effect.
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Howarth is an English Tory
Howarth is an English Tory defector who was parachuted into Newport East when the sitting MP was kicked upstairs to the Lords (to make way for Howarth). You could argue he should never have had a Welsh seat in the first place...but that's New Labour for you.
I know that, and you're
I know that, and you're right, he shouldn't have been parachuted into Wales (unless the Newport Labour association wanted him - which I doubt).
I've just discovered he's Mr
I've just discovered he's Mr Baroness Hollis, or rather her partner, who lives next door to her and claims separately from her (according to Wikipedia).
In terms of Newport East there would have been a bit of arm twisting (and the peerage sweetner to Roy Hughes of course). It was the sort of parachute job which antagonised Welsh Labour party members, with the spill over being seen in Blaenau Gwent.