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| As Election Looms, Britain Ponders ‘English Question’ | As Election Looms, Britain Ponders ‘English Question’ |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — To persuade Scottish voters to reject independence in a referendum in September, British politicians offered to give Scotland’s Parliament in Edinburgh more powers and more autonomy. | LONDON — To persuade Scottish voters to reject independence in a referendum in September, British politicians offered to give Scotland’s Parliament in Edinburgh more powers and more autonomy. |
| It worked. But now those same politicians are fretting about the consequences outside Scotland and grappling with what has become known here as the English question: Who should have a say on measures that exclusively concern England? | |
| On Tuesday, the Conservative-led government of Prime Minister David Cameron laid out some options for answering that question — measures that would either limit the powers of members of the national Parliament from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have their own legislatures, or give expanded powers to members from England, which does not. | |
| Tuesday’s announcement was an opening move in a wrangle that is likely to color the general election in May and occupy British politicians for years to come. It underlines worries about the fragility of the United Kingdom as pressure builds from nationalist parties and many voters seem disenchanted with the political establishment. | Tuesday’s announcement was an opening move in a wrangle that is likely to color the general election in May and occupy British politicians for years to come. It underlines worries about the fragility of the United Kingdom as pressure builds from nationalist parties and many voters seem disenchanted with the political establishment. |
| No agreement is expected before the election. The opposition Labour Party called on Tuesday, as it has before, for a full constitutional convention to draw up a solution, rather than quickly passing legislation in Parliament. | No agreement is expected before the election. The opposition Labour Party called on Tuesday, as it has before, for a full constitutional convention to draw up a solution, rather than quickly passing legislation in Parliament. |
| By contrast, the Conservative Party has embraced the slogan “English votes for English laws” as its electoral battle cry. | By contrast, the Conservative Party has embraced the slogan “English votes for English laws” as its electoral battle cry. |
| Mr. Cameron faces competition from the right-wing U.K. Independence Party, which draws most of its support in England. And he has little to lose in Scotland now; his Conservative Party has just one Scottish member in the national Parliament, while Labour has 41. | Mr. Cameron faces competition from the right-wing U.K. Independence Party, which draws most of its support in England. And he has little to lose in Scotland now; his Conservative Party has just one Scottish member in the national Parliament, while Labour has 41. |
| Labour has supported greater autonomy for the Scottish Parliament, but the party’s leader, Ed Miliband, wants a longer discussion after the election about what to do for England. He knows that imposing any restrictions on the powers of Scottish lawmakers in the Westminster Parliament could make it harder for him to form a government if Labour prevails at the polls in May. | |
| William Hague, the Conservative leader in the House of Commons, said that the issue of English representation was one that “too many people have avoided for too long, and can no longer be put aside.” | William Hague, the Conservative leader in the House of Commons, said that the issue of English representation was one that “too many people have avoided for too long, and can no longer be put aside.” |
| Mr. Hague outlined three options. One would bar Scottish lawmakers from having any role in English and Welsh legislation. A less sweeping option would be to give lawmakers from English constituencies a bigger role in shaping and amending laws for England, without entirely excluding lawmakers from other regions from having a say. A third option would be to give English members of Parliament, as a group, the power to veto certain bills. | Mr. Hague outlined three options. One would bar Scottish lawmakers from having any role in English and Welsh legislation. A less sweeping option would be to give lawmakers from English constituencies a bigger role in shaping and amending laws for England, without entirely excluding lawmakers from other regions from having a say. A third option would be to give English members of Parliament, as a group, the power to veto certain bills. |
| The Liberal Democrats, who are junior members of Mr. Cameron’s ruling coalition, offered a somewhat different version of the veto approach, proposing a new committee of English lawmakers with the right to block legislation applying only to England. Seats on the committee would be apportioned based on each party’s share of the vote in the general election. | The Liberal Democrats, who are junior members of Mr. Cameron’s ruling coalition, offered a somewhat different version of the veto approach, proposing a new committee of English lawmakers with the right to block legislation applying only to England. Seats on the committee would be apportioned based on each party’s share of the vote in the general election. |
| Speaking to the BBC before the announcement, John Prescott, a Labour leader and former deputy prime minister, said the Conservative proposals were just a campaign ploy. “They’re rushing it before the election to make an election claim,” he said. | Speaking to the BBC before the announcement, John Prescott, a Labour leader and former deputy prime minister, said the Conservative proposals were just a campaign ploy. “They’re rushing it before the election to make an election claim,” he said. |
| Britain has no formal written constitution, and has long prided itself on being able to manage without one. But some political figures say the time may have come for that tradition to change. | Britain has no formal written constitution, and has long prided itself on being able to manage without one. But some political figures say the time may have come for that tradition to change. |
| The first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, who belongs to the Labour Party, said that a convention was needed to discuss all of Britain’s constitutional issues, including more powers for Wales, and that the results would have to be “at least partially” a written constitution. | The first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, who belongs to the Labour Party, said that a convention was needed to discuss all of Britain’s constitutional issues, including more powers for Wales, and that the results would have to be “at least partially” a written constitution. |
| “The tragedy is that this can all be resolved, but the will and the understanding in Whitehall isn’t there,” he told reporters on Monday, referring to the center of administrative power in London. “Resolving the English question is the most difficult part of any constitutional process. There are no easy answers to that.” | “The tragedy is that this can all be resolved, but the will and the understanding in Whitehall isn’t there,” he told reporters on Monday, referring to the center of administrative power in London. “Resolving the English question is the most difficult part of any constitutional process. There are no easy answers to that.” |