A NEW constitutional row is brewing after the Commons Speaker agreed to investigate the UK Government's plan to restrict the voting rights of Scottish MPs not through a Bill but by simply changing parliamentary procedure.
English Votes for English Laws is David Cameron's response to giving more powers to Holyrood. It would mean England-only laws would be put through Westminster with the consent of English MPs; albeit the final vote would still involve all UK MPs.
The Conservative Government believes Evel would end the "manifest unfairness" whereby Scotland can decide its own devolved laws while Scottish MPs could have potentially the decisive say on similar matters affecting only England and Wales.
Yet fears have been raised that on key Budget votes, Scottish MPs would be excluded given the Tories now want to introduce an English income tax.
On a point of order, Alex Salmond, the former First Minister, argued that making such a major constitutional change - that would breach the principle all MPs are equal - simply through standing orders needed to be investigated, otherwise any majority government could change MPs' voting rights "without so much as a by your leave".
While Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg argued there was parliamentary precedent for restricting MPs' rights, John Bercow said Mr Salmond had made a "perfectly legitimate point" and he would look into it.
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