PEER ACCUSES GOVERNMENT OF BYPASSING PARLIAMENT IN TAMPERE NEGOTIATIONS The former Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, now an independent Labour Peer, Lord Stoddart of Swindon has called for Parliament to be given a proper opportunity to hold a full debate and vote before the Government agrees to any changes to the national veto on Justice and Home Affairs Lord Stoddart, Chairman of the all-party Campaign for an Independent Britain said: “I am gravely concerned that the Government seems prepared to negotiate away our veto on Justice and Home Affairs without even discussing it with Parliament. This amounts to a major treaty change, which it appears the Government seems to think it has the authority to accept, without the approval of Parliament. This amounts to government by decree. “I would like to know why this matter is being raised now and why the Government considers that it has the authority to bypass Parliament and negotiate away a veto, which would signal the end of 800 years of independent judiciary in Britain. Casualties of this appalling surrender of government may very well include the right to trial by jury, habeas corpus and the presumption of innocence. Making British justice subject to qualified majority voting is a disastrous idea and no government in its right mind would even consider it. “The growing power of the EU is a major threat to our Parliamentary democracy and to our civil liberties”.