From the Financial Times:
The Liberal Democrats are pressing to clinch extra debate days and other parliamentary rights from the Conservatives, arguing that a reallocation is due following their record election result and the Tories slumping to become the smallest official opposition in recent times.
Sir Ed Davey’s party is set to petition both the parliamentary authorities and the government to reallocate various Commons rights and responsibilities that by convention are extended to the main opposition party.
The paper quotes a Lib Dem official as saying:
"The Conservatives have chosen the topics for each of these days and didn’t dedicate a single day to the NHS and social care, which is what we’ve been wanting to talk about. It’s quite a shocking absence in the debate,"
And the Lib Dems have won support from both the former House of Commons clerk Paul Evans and Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government.
The Conservative response, as quoted by the FT, suggests they have learnt nothing from their trouncing on 4 July:
A Conservative spokesperson hit back against the Lib Dems’ proposal, arguing: “What’s the point when they agree with the Labour party on every issue?”
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