Donald Dewar: Tory complaints are "humbug"

Dewar brings on the 'guillotine' (4 minutes 55 seconds)

John Major condemns Labour's move

Ann Taylor reminds the opposition of its whitewash in Scotland and Wales

Referendums Bill Set For a Swift Passage

A "guillotine" motion, which will limit the time available for the Bill's debate, was carried by 420 votes to 154, a Government majority of 266.

The decision to introduce the guillotine on the Referendums Bill was announced on Monday night by the Leader of the House, Ann Taylor. It followed Conservative attempts to hijack the Bill by tabling over 250 ammendments - a measure which would almost certainly see the Bill filibustered,.

Despite the Government's crushing majority, ministers faced lively challenges from the Opposition benches and from Labour MP Tam Dalyell, a longstanding critic of devolution.

Howard: Labour use of the guillotine is an "abuse"

Howard: the Government's plans may be undemocratic

William Hague: Labour cutting off debate

He renewed Conservative condemnation of ministers' plans to hold the referendums before the legislation that will make plain Labour's plans for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh assembly had been drawn up.

Mr Howard said, "The referendum should take place after the legislation and it should take full account of the legislation and it should be a specific question referring to the legislation."

Winding up the debate on the timetable motion for the Opposition, Tory leadership contender William Hague accused the Government of a "cavalier use of the power to guillotine" and an "arrogant abuse of power".

The Shadow Welsh Secretary insisted, "This guillotine isn't about merely limiting debate but denying it."

He said Mrs Taylor's behaviour was a disgrace, "She has been bullied into surrendering the rights of the House by the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland."

This added up to a "growing streak of arrogance" in the Government's behaviour, Mr Hague said. "What seemed like carelessness has now turned into a habit of overweening arrogance," he protested.

"The use of referendums to gain a general mandate rather than approval for specific proposals is an anti-parliamentary device."

"The whiff of constitutional outrage drifting around the Chamber yesterday quickly disperses when you look at the facts.

"We really cannot have the kind of myth perpetrated that this has never been done before and it's some sort of new jungle territory into which we are plunging, where democracy will die among the snakes."

Alex Salmond, the leader of the Scottish National Party accused Tories of putting up many "insulting" amendments. Saying, "the Government has been guilty of arrogance...but the charge of arrogance coming from the Conservative frontbench takes some stomaching from the rest of us.

"I am rather glad that these amendments are not going to be treated seriously by this House."

The McAllister Problem

Despite the Government's victory in the timetable motion, Labour's veteran opponent to devolution, Tam Dalyell, called on the House to give "serious consideration" to "what can be encapsulated as the Gary McAllister Problem or the Paul Lambert Problem".

Gary McAllister, who plays for Coventry City in the English Premiership, will not be allowed to vote in the referendum on the establishment of a Scottish parliament because he is not living in Scotland.

Paul Lambert, who plays for European Champions Borussia Dortmund in the German league, will not be able to vote in the referendum because he is working elsewhere in the European Union.

Mr Dalyell said: "A whole number of Scots who are working in the European community, often for the Government or the great firms of this country, they too feel...that they should take part, whichever way they will vote."

Later, during the committee stage debate, he asked how Scottish servicemen based in Germany could take part in the referendum.