Nick Clegg yesterday urged MPs to back a move to fixed-term, five-year parliaments, to ensure general elections are no longer a “a plaything of governments”.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Fixed-Term Parliaments Bill would remove the right of a prime minister to seek a dissolution of Parliament for “pure political gain”.
Opening a Commons second reading debate, Mr Clegg spoke of the “damage” done when a prime minister “dithers and hesitates over the election date, keeping the country guessing”.
He told MPs: “We were subjected to that pantomime in 2007 and all that happens is the political parties end up in perpetual campaign mode, making it very difficult for Parliament to function effectively.”
The Bill would have a “very profound effect because for the first time in our history, the timing of general elections will not be a plaything of governments”, he said.
“There will be no more feverish speculation over the date of the next election, distracting politicians from getting on with running the country. Instead everyone will know how long a Parliament can be expected to last, bringing much greater stability to our political system.
“And, crucially, if for some reason there is a need for Parliament to dissolve early, that will be up to the House of Commons to decide.”
The cross-party Political and Constitutional Reform Committee last week raised a number of concerns about the proposals. At present, a prime minister can ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament at any time within five years of the previous general election.
Under the Bill, general elections would take place on the first Thursday in May every five years from the next time voters go to the polls – which would be May 7, 2015.
Parliament would be dissolved early if no government could be formed within 14 days of a simple majority vote of no confidence, or if two-thirds of MPs voted to trigger a general election.
The latter threshold was raised after a political outcry over initial plans to set it at 55 per cent.
In a hastily-prepared report, the committee welcomed the reforms but attacked the Bill’s “unnecessarily” accelerated timetable.