'Give England its own parliament'
Published: 12:38, 23 June 2008
England should have its own parliament with powers similar to those that have been given to Scotland and Wales to decide how money should be spent on public services, according to a Kent Labour MP.
Derek Wyatt said a separate parliament for England, alongside ones for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the only way of preventing an acimonious break-up of the United Kingdom.
Outlining his plans for parliaments that would raise funds through local income tax, the MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey said in a speech at Westminster that devolution to Scotland and Wales had left England paying more for less.
He said: "My constituents are living in a half-finished house that costs them money, and they are beginning to resent it. The half-finished house in our country - the United Kingdom - has, like so many historic houses, grown up over the centuries without a master plan and according to the needs or whims of successive owners."
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However, devolution meant there had been a "remodelling" that had "failed to create any special space for the English". As a result, "the the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish were still free to walk in and help themselves to the fridge and the drinks cabinet".
Mr Wyatt, whose call is at odds with his own party's stance, said a system in which there were separate parliaments with the same powers would iron out differences in funding between regions.
"In 2007-08, identifiable per capita public expenditure for the UK was £7,790 per person. That works out at £7,535 for the English, £8,577 for the Welsh, £9,179 for the Scottish, and £9,789 for the Northern Irish. Out of all the English regions, the south-east does worst," he said.
Under his blueprint, the MP described how there would be an overarching Parliament, similar to America's senate or House of Representatives, that would deal with issues such as the environment and foreign policy.
While some had argued a federal system could not work in the UK, Mr Wyatt warned that unless there was a clear separation of powers, there would be a "break-up of the country in confusion and acrimony".
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