English votes for English laws are vital to stop the UK disintegrating, David Cameron claimed today.
In a speech launching the first ever English manifesto by a major party, he said the nation would be under strain if Scots had more voting rights than English and Welsh MPs.
“If you have the people in one part of the UK feeling like they are getting a raw deal then resentment festers, and that undermines the bonds and the fellow-feeling that are the basis of the United Kingdom,” he added.
The issue has come into sharper focus with Nicola Sturgeon set to hold influence in a hung parliament, even though she is not standing at Westminster.
Meanwhile Boris Johnson unveiled a pledge card setting out the Tories’ plans for London. The Mayor, who made his speech in the marginal constituency of Harrow East, has admitted he is worried about the scale of Tory losses in the capital, with Labour expected to take five or six seats.
He announced a proposal for a new Museum of London in Smithfield market, at the centre of a new cultural quarter.
Other policies included:
* 10 new housing zones, taking the total number to 30;
* £150 million funding to develop brownfield land;
* Pushing ahead with Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo line extension;
* A social impact investment bond to help homeless women off the streets;
* City Hall to expanding its rental deposit loan scheme — which works like a season ticket loan scheme;
* Transport for London to start installing high-speed broadband in all stations.
The pledge card also included promises on income tax, NHS investment, childcare and apprenticeships.
He said Londoners would be “bonkers” to vote Labour, claiming the party would put billions of pounds of investment in the capital at risk.
