Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

We come to the House today to watch a rare and wondrous thing; the Government eating a large and probably unpalatable portion of humble pie. The disappointment for all of us involved in the debate is that the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr. Murphy) is not here to share in that, because he would have got a healthy portion of that humble pie. For months, he suggested that the amendments were not necessary, but today we are considering something like 50 Government amendments and new clauses. After telling us that we were simply misunderstanding him and that he had no intention of using the powers, the Government are now spelling out how the changes should be taken forward.