For most people, the concept of a fixed term means that the date of the next election is known in advance – not that the government becomes virtually unassailable for five years. So it’s a funny kind of reform that begins with the suggested introduction of a rule that requires 55% of MPs to vote before Parliament can be dissolved.
As the BBC points out, the current maths means that the new suggested threshold cannot be achieved unless 16 Tory MPs vote against David Cameron and the whips.
The Lib Dems seem fairly sanguine at this early attempt to extend the executive’s lifespan – and their own newly acquired grip on power – and it is left to Charles Walker, Conservative MP for Broxbourne, to argue against the idea.
"It is for Parliament to decide when it's lost confidence in the government and I think we have to look at this very closely... This is perhaps just a little too much for our unwritten constitution to bear."
He added: "Parliament actually runs this country, not the prime minister. Over the past 100 years, Parliament has given away huge powers to the prime minister."
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