Political Parties and Elections Bill

I think the hon. Gentleman misunderstands the position of my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (David Howarth). The hon. Gentleman played a valuable and crucial role in achieving consensus. The point that my hon. Friend and I were trying to make to the Lord Chancellor was that there was consensus. A document was produced by members of three parties, which was then developed by an independent referee, and so the Lord Chancellor could not be faulted if he persisted in carrying the recommendation forward even though one party had since resiled from it.