English nationalism is alive and real, "a ticking time-bomb under the British constitution". That was the dramatic warning issued by the Conservative leader, Mr William Hague, yesterday when he called for Scottish and Welsh MPs to be stripped of their right to vote on English matters at Westminster.
Demanding "English votes on English laws", Mr Hague's radical plan is an attempt to face down what the Tories claim is a rising tide of English nationalism, which if ignored, "could threaten the future of the United Kingdom". If implemented, his plan would effectively turn Westminster into an English parliament.
Elaborating on the theme in a speech to the Centre for Policy Studies in London, Mr Hague said the current practice whereby Scottish MPs could vote on issues such as schools, hospitals and roads affecting England, but could not do so in the Scottish Parliament, was deeply unpopular. Added to the problem, Mr Hague said, was the fact that English MPs could not vote on Scottish matters devolved to Edinburgh. The stark reality was that Scottish MPs should not be allowed to vote on matters affecting England.
But Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru in Wales all fiercely attacked Mr Hague's speech, accusing him of flirting with English nationalism. Scotland's First Minister, Mr Donald Dewar, denounced the speech, saying his references to seas of red and white painted faces at the World Cup last year was not the basis on which to argue for constitutional change. The Scottish Secretary, Mr John Reid, accused Mr Hague of "fanning the flames of English nationalism", while Plaid Cymru described his speech as "a retreat into a narrow and sectarian form of English nationalism".
Against the backdrop of Mr Hague's robust speech, the Conservatives were also attempting to battle against a gathering storm of criticism over the business interests of the party treasurer, Mr Michael Ashcroft.
After the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, told the Commons earlier this week that Mr Ashcroft's business activities in Belize could become the subject of an inquiry by the Commons Committee on Standards in Public Life and Labour demands to "come clean" on his donations to the Conservatives, Mr Hague confirmed Mr Ashcroft had made a £1 million donation to the party in the last year. Mr Hague said he did not believe Mr Ashcroft's donation should be referred to the party's ethics committee. "We proceed on the basis of facts. It's not for panic reaction to smears. On the basis of what I have seen there is not a case for doing that," he told BBC Radio 4.
The shadow over Mr Ashcroft's reputation arose this week following the leak of two Foreign Office documents to the Times newspaper that the businessman had resisted attempts to tighten up off-shore shipping and financial services legislation in Belize which he believed would adversely affect his tax-free business interests there. The Foreign Office minister, Mr Tony Lloyd, confirmed this week that Mr Ashcroft had made representations to the Conservative government in 1994. As a result the British High Commissioner in Belize at the time, Mr David MacKilligan, intervened on his behalf with the Belizean government, reminding it of its obligation under a treaty signed with Britain on inward investment, and the proposed changes were eventually shelved.