The coalition government's move to make it harder to dissolve Parliament is a "constitutional outrage", ex-Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said. The ConDem plan will mean that 55% of MPs must approve such a move to get it through the House of Commons. Currently, it takes 50% of MPs plus one vote to scupper a government. Not content with this, David Cameron plans to cut the number of parliamentary constituencies to 585, and decrease the size differential between them, in a move to reduce a pro-Labour bias in the electoral system.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary faces a petition demanding her dismissal, one day into her tenure. It's not so much the Home Secretary bit that has upset people but the fact that Theresa May has also been appointed Minister for Women and Equality. In 1998 Ms May voted against equalising the age of consent; in 2000 she voted against the repeal of Section 28 (legislation that banned the 'promotion' of homosexuality by local government and schools) and in 2001 and 2002 she voted against gay couples jointly adopting children.
Petition to hang Theresa May
