Cameron would be wise to seek Labour’s support over Scotland and Europe
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Version 0 of 1. The new parliament will be the home rule parliament. It will legislate for more self-government for Scotland, detaching powers from the UK, and more home rule for the UK, regaining powers from the EU. For those of a contemporary and liberal temperament, it might be better to call it the parliament to modernise our democracy. It will need to make power more accountable to people through parliament, and to bring accountability more into line with people’s sense of their identity as British or Scottish or English. David Cameron’s victory in the election gives him the difficult task of settling our country’s troubled constitution, while making sure the economic recovery continues and provides prosperity for the many. At the top of his in-tray will be devolution for Scotland. Not far beneath will be the steps he needs to take to open negotiations with the rest of the EU. The “one nation” that Cameron wishes to govern is the United Kingdom. Some of the problems he needs to confront are fundamental to the makeup of our country and will benefit from wider support than just the 331 Conservative MPs he leads and the voters we represent. He needs Labour support for his moves to provide more home rule in Scotland. The test for Labour will be whether it can accept some fiscal devolution, which Scotland now expects and many Conservatives are happy to offer. I hope we can come to a common, generous offer to Scotland, giving it more powers to raise taxes, which implies less reliance on UK grants and the attendant Barnett formula for its spending. Related: Gove returns to heart of government as Cameron picks team to redraw political map I also hope we can find a more positive response to England’s demands for fair treatment when Scotland gains the additional self-government it craves. Conservative proposals in the manifesto were on the mean side, but still proved too much for the outgoing Labour leadership. Now that the fury of the election is behind us, I trust that the new leadership of the opposition can turn to the longer-term view. Can anyone seriously believe that Scotland can settle its own income tax free from Westminster interference, yet England’s has to be settled by the full-union parliament? Central to the next two years will also be trying to ensure that our one nation is and remains a self-governing democracy through the Westminster parliament. Conservatives and many beyond our party believe too much power has already passed to the EU. We do not like the weekly passage of more laws, court judgments and regulations by European institutions, as each one of these limits what the UK can decide for itself. EU laws can prevent parliament from tackling abuses and problems at home. To understand what Cameron wants, we need to remind ourselves of the seminal Bloomberg speech he made in 2013. I share the stated belief at the heart of it: “It is national parliaments which are and will remain the true source of real democratic legitimacy and accountability in the EU.” The negotiation should stick to this fundamental question. How can the treaties be revised for all, or for the UK by exception, so that our parliament can resume its rightful role as the ultimate arbiter of our law, budgets and taxes? Cameron’s vision is an appealing one. He seeks “a new settlement subject to the democratic legitimacy and accountability of national parliaments, where member states combine in flexible cooperation”. Creating that against the background of a detailed EU legal framework and a euro area pressing on to political union is a challenge. Conservatives wish him well. Related: Michael Gove back on frontline as David Cameron’s justice chief This is not some new Maastricht. Then a predominantly Eurosceptic party wanted to prevent a prime minister giving more powers away to the EU, so there was conflict. Here, a Conservative party that yearns for less meddling EU government will be urging the prime minister on to the full restoration of home rule. There is no disagreement about the aim, but the prime minister has to avoid disappointment about how much has been achieved to further it. Cameron’s promise to bring immigration down to tens of thousands will also require early action. Labour added the pledge to control immigration to their carved stone, though they did not quantify it. Ukip may only have won one seat, but they did garner four million votes by stressing the need to control our own borders. Both main parties sought and gained votes by promising immigration control. That, too, is important and sensitive business for the parliament that assembles later this month. While Cameron has a majority, and leads a Conservative party that likes what was in the manifesto, he will be wise to build consent from Labour and the SNP as well for the constitutional revolution we are about to embark upon. John Redwood is the Conservative MP for Wokingham |