Crucial defeat for Labour on devolution

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 7

Crucial defeat for Labour on devolution

NZPA-Reuter London The British Labour Gove: - j ment has been defeated by 29 votes on a crucial motion ion its bill setting up sepa- ! rate Parliaments in Scotland {and Wales. ■ Tt.e House of Commons [erupted in noisy scenes as it{ {was announced that, by 312 'votes to 283. the Government (had lost a motion to speed {the passage of the bill ■through Parliament. ! ' he defeat came because [about 20 Labour rebels, who ■F'tterl, oppose the bill, defied ■Government orders and voted iagainst the motion, and ma. |ot ,i ers abstained. But even ithe most pessimistic in the {Government did not foresee (defeat by such a majority. | To prolonged cries of “Re-j I si, n,” Labour’s deputy leader. | I Mr Michael Foot, said the! {Government would hold immediate consultations about 'the vote. ! Scottish National Party [M.P.s who have been calling' ' ir the new Assemblies, were (furious about the vot;.. Progress on the bill had (almost stopped because of [hours of wrangling by Opposition Conservatives and Labour rebels. Labour cannot get the bill [through without a guillotine

t; motion, and the Government (now faces a crisis. It fears - that failure to get the bill /{through Parliament would i! seriously erode the l abour -(Party’s support in Scotland. I At the last election Labour' gained 41 of the 71 seats in ;[Scotland, but the increasingly' :i popular Scottish National I‘Party gained 11, and seems; [likely to take several ofj I Labour’s seats in the next. I [election. i 3 .ie Labour Government; ;;and the combined Opposition! •■{each hold 314 seats. The rest [ of the seats in the 635-i ! { member Parliament are heidi (by non-voting members or! II are vacant at the moment. ' : | Mr Callaghan could try in J[a few weeks to bring ini [ anot'- . guillotine motion, bur [ .{the size of the defeat makes' (this very unlikely. ■ [ Another option to the Gov- j ■ eminent is to accept a plan : put forward by the Conserva- 1 tive Pa ty for a constitutio ' ■ conference on the whole [ ; j issue. ■ The bill would set up I elected Assemblies in Edin-j burgh and Cardiff to adminis- i ' ter schools, health, social! work, and the environment. I The Scottish Assembly would also have the power! to pass laws, but these could be vetoed by Westminster. I