Charles Walker calls for a debate on the constitutional settlement between England and Scotland.

Mr. Charles Walker (Broxbourne) (Con): Given the unsustainability of the imbalance of representation between England and Scotland and the worrying democratic deficit that that creates, may we have an urgent debate on the future shape of the constitutional settlement currently in place between these two great countries?

Mr. Straw: We have had plenty of debates on that issue. I shall just say two things to the hon. Gentleman. First, he and his party-which, as I reminded the House last week, was once called the Conservative and Unionist party-need to be extremely careful in pursuing the populist but wrong-headed line of suggesting that there is a contradiction between devolution to Scotland and the integrity of the Union. The second point that he needs to be aware of is that English MPs, of whom I am one, have overwhelming power over the Scottish Parliament in respect of one thing that is fundamental to all its operations: the allocation of money to it.

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