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Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill

The hon. and learned Gentleman is a talented wordsmith, but he is diverting the argument at this point from the fundamental question: does this Committee of the whole House vote in favour of removing the hereditary principle from membership of the House of Lords? There will be a clear vote on that this evening, and people will see that my party and the Liberal Democrat party want reform to remove the hereditary principle from the legitimacy—the appointment—of Members of this Parliament, and that the Conservative party wants to retain it. That is the long and the short of the issue before Parliament.