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Business of the House

The Deputy Leader of the House represents a Scottish constituency, which perhaps explains the breathtaking insouciance of, and even the occasional inaccuracies in, his answers concerning a debate on police reform. We are talking about the most important reform of policing in England and Wales in a political generation. No police officer in my area—West Mercia, which covers Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire—supports the Government’s proposals. There should have been a debate on the principles underlying the report produced by Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary, which I challenge, before proceeding to detailed proposals for a merger. The Government could save some shred of honour by having such a debate before Christmas; it would be shameful not to do so.