Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

Indeed, that is a blocking minority of one from one political party. The purpose of new clause 14 is to protect minorities. It provides geographical protection—we have heard the point about local Acts—and it also protects political minorities in the House and within parties. A matter can be controversial for a substantial number of Back Benchers, but it may not be controversial for their Front-Bench spokesmen. We need a mechanism that allows such minorities not to block the progress of legislation completely, but to demand further debate.