AN SNP MP has slammed a decision to exclude the party from a committee to modernise Westminster.
On Thursday, the government proposed a motion to establish a modernisation committee to consider reforms to Commons procedures, standards and working practices.
Despite smaller parties taking up over 50 seats in the chamber, the committee's 14 proposed seats will only be distributed among the three largest parties.
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman proposed an amendment to the motion that would require one member from each party to be represented on the committee, which went unselected by the Speaker.
During the debate, Blackman said: “Given the breakdown that committees are likely to fall in, does [Commons leader Lucy Powell] understand that only three parties will be represented on that committee?
"And would it be possible to flex it slightly and still keep it relatively small, but have voices from more than just three parties?”
Powell replied that the make up “is an unfortunate case of the mathematics of how these things are considered across all select committees”.
However, she sought to assure Blackman that she would “commit to there being regular and meaningful engagement with any and all parties represented in this house.”
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson intervened to say: “This for me seems a little bit unfair.
“We have a political party represented in this House that got over four million votes at the last election and we will have no representation whatsoever on the committees."
Powell responded: “The house is considered in terms of its members not in terms of the popular vote, and that is a consequence of those formulas which are long standing and have brought about effective representation on many select committees.”
The DUP's Jim Shannon weighed in, agreeing with the points raised by the SNP and Reform UK MPs.
The MP for Strangford said that when it comes to “more parochial” issues such as the Northern Ireland or Scottish affairs committee there should be more space for smaller parties.
He added that he was “ever mindful” of the right of the Government to have a majority.
