Commenting on the vote in the House of Lords last night to delay tax credit cuts, Public Law expert David Radlett says the Lords deserve credit for ‘doing their job’.
David said: ‘The howls of anguish coming from the government and its supporters over the defeat of their proposals for savage cuts in tax credits beggar belief. The government deliberately chose a legislative route not protected by the Parliament Acts 1911 & 1949 as they wanted to avoid defeat in the House of Commons, which does not fully debate delegated legislation.
‘However, the “Companion to the Standing Orders and guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords” clearly records how the Lords “affirms its unfettered freedom to vote on any subordinate legislation submitted for its consideration’”. And that is what happened. Calling for a consultation on full transitional protection for a minimum of three years for all low-income families and individuals currently receiving tax credits and asking the government to respond to the analysis of their proposals by the Institute for Fiscal Studies seems like the Lords are doing their job. Credit to them for that.’
David, who has academic interests in constitutional law, gave evidence to the Royal Commission appointed under Lord Wakeham in 1999 to examine proposals for Lords Reform and make recommendations. The subsequent Wakeham Report was published in 2000.
David also has research interests in the shift in power from the elected and notionally representative and accountable to the unelected and obviously unrepresentative and unaccountable. Read more about his publications and research on his staff profile.