The Legislative and Regulatory reform bill will allow government to amend or create law without consulting parliament.

Philip Booth, a Stroud District Green party spokesperson said: " The proposed new bill threatens democracy and equality in the UK and extends the power of the Execution bypassing Parliament. This Government, like its predecessor, seems intent on extending the number of potential criminals by treating every citizen as a potential suspect. This is destroying trust between the Government and people."

Please write to your MP - a sample letter is enclosed below.

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LATEST INFO: GOVERNMENT CLIMB-DOWN

Read Guardian article on climb-down

Philip Booth commented: "Greens will need to continue to put pressure on parliament that the bill should not threaten to change major legislation by any simpler ministerial and subsidiary legislation. The latest move is a considerable victory but we are no means sure that the battle has been won on this won yet. I consider it is still worth writing to your MP with concerns noting that we welcome the changes made so far."

The Right Hon. [YOUR MP'S NAME]                                  [YOUR ADDRESS]
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Dear [YOUR MP's NAME]

I am writing to express my extreme concern at the content of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill.

If passed, and certainly if passed in its present form, this Bill will give Ministers powers to alter laws “by order” without the consent or even necessarily the knowledge of Parliament, including the Bill itself if it becomes law. This is tantamount to legitimising totalitarianism, since (if taken to its logical conclusion) Ministers could use the Bill to transfer all power to themselves. Whether or not this is the intention of the proposers of the Bill, such a possibility should IN NO CIRCUMSTANCES be permitted by a parliamentary democracy.

In a letter to The Times signed by no fewer than six Professors of the Law Faculty at Cambridge (February 16th, 2006), it is stated that: “We believe the Bill would make it possible for the Government, by delegated legislation, to do (inter alia) the following:

create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred, punishable with two years’ imprisonment;
curtail or abolish jury trial;
permit the Home Secretary to place citizens under house arrest;
allow the Prime Minister to sack judges;
rewrite the law on nationality and immigration;
“reform” Magna Carta (or what remains of it).”

As your constituent, I urge you to re-read the Bill for yourself and consider its implications for your position as an MP, for this country and for democracy.   I further urge you to do EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER to stop this Bill becoming law.

I look forward to receiving by return your assurance that you will do this.

Yours sincerely

[YOUR NAME]

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