MPs will vote within the next few weeks on a significant shake-up of Parliament that could have a more profound effect than any reforms made as a result of the expenses row.
Under the proposals, MPs will be given a rare opportunity to dilute patronage exercised by party leaders when they vote on measures to reduce the power of the whips.
The appointment of chairmen of select committees — groups of backbench MPs who scrutinise and embarrass government departments — is likely to be removed from the party leaders and handed to MPs to decide in a secret ballot.
This could have a big effect on Parliament’s ability to scrutinise government, as whips have little incentive to install MPs who are likely to cause any trouble for party leaders. Stronger, more aggressive select committees could provide a badly needed boost to the reputation of Parliament. If MPs approve the reforms, the chairmanships are likely to be tightly contested, since they carry an additional £14,000 salary on top of the £63,000 basic salary, at a time when MPs’ allowances are being cut.
In a second reform agreed yesterday, the public are expected to be allowed to use petitions to force a debate in Parliament, if it secures the approval of an MP. A report by MPs is unlikely to argue in favour of giving the public the direct ability to dictate topics for debate, however, claiming this procedure could be hijacked by campaign groups or far-right politicians.
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Privately, the House of Commons authorities have argued against the right for the public to influence parliamentary business directly, saying it will be too expensive — even though a system of debates about issues decided by the public appears to work well in the Scottish Parliament.
In a third reform, MPs are likely to be allowed to decide the timetabling of all non-government business. This could have a significant impact depending on the scope of the new committee’s powers and composition.
The package will be put before the Commons after being signed off by a special committee set up by Gordon Brown over the summer.
The committee is expected to rule against elections to every position on each select committee, arguing this is impractical and unnecessary. Existing procedures allow MPs to overule existing decisions of the whips, they say, and were used to prevent two Labour MPs being forced off the Transport Select Committee in the last Parliament.
The whips, who exercise the will of their party leaders in Parliament, have been watching the progress of the committee closely. Nick Brown, Labour’s chief whip, appeared at a private session a fortnight ago.
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Committee members stress that the package is practical, and takes into account the need for any government to ensure legislation is passed without being unnecessarily hijacked by opponents. One committee member said: “It’s a genuine attempt to democratise matters and ensure all parts of the house are given a fair crack of the whip. This means that overall, it’s not the most radical set of proposals but it is achievable.”
There has been internal dissent over some aspects of the report, amid claims that it does not reflect the contempt in which Parliament is held following the expenses crisis and reinforces perceptions that Parliament does not “get it”.
David Cameron has indicated that he is receptive to the idea of elected select committees. However, there is nervousness in government that Mr Brown may end up opposing the measures and delaying any vote, even though it could be to Labour’s advantage if they became the Opposition.
“This decision will go to Gordon and he will have to decide whether he wants this or not. I’m not sure if Good Gordon will approve it or Bad Gordon will listen to the whips and squash it,” said a member of the Government.
The number of chairmanships handed to each party has traditionally reflected the composition of the House of Commons, and this is expected to continue. Some such as the Public Accounts Committee always go to an opposition party while others, such as the Treasury Committee will go to an MP from the governing party.
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Under the most radical option expected to go before the House, MPs of any party will be allowed to vote for the candidates. The report will be published on November 24, before going to Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons, for a response.