European Union Bill

The days of the guillotine started before the 1970s, when the then Labour Government began using it for all kinds of things that most people did not want. They were in effect a minority Government, passing legislation that was not doing any good to anybody, and there were great objections to the guillotine. Some of the greatest speeches were made by Michael Foot defending it and by Conservatives attacking it. Since then, we have carried on with it for some 35 years. I do not agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone), and today is not necessarily the day to suspend the rule and go on through the night. On this issue as on others, one or two of us, if we speak for 60 minutes, have only just cleared our throats and are perfectly capable of going on for two or three hours. That would not resolve whatever issue the Government are trying to resolve. What matters most to me is that if the Government are deliberately, and rightly, adding extra debates for the Committee's consideration, there should be injury time. That will not happen all the time, but on this Bill I welcome the fact that the Government have made the change voluntarily and at an early stage of the Committee's proceedings. We are coming up to day two of Committee of the whole House. I praise them for making an early change and recognise it openly. What worries me is the issue raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Hertsmere (Mr Clappison), who asked, ““Is there a possibility that, because of how the programme operates, certain major debates will not take place?”” That is what I hope we were addressing in opposition and will not do in government. We should say, for example, ““What would a Backbench Business Committee do if it was considering the issues that should be debated?”” I am not concerned about the Speaker's groupings; I am concerned that there should be debates on any issues that most people in the House say should be debated. So, I put it to those on both Front Benches, that Back Benchers on both sides of the House expect there to be debates about the issues that we believe matter most. There obviously needs to be room for the particular enthusiasm of one Member, if they can get a relevant amendment accepted and debated, but, on those amendments that are clearly accepted as important to the whole House, let us not reach the point at which, by some chance or design, they are not debated.