Parliament's push to strip Andrew's titles won't work

The Scottish National Party sees Prince Andrew's unpopularity - and the government's reluctance to take action against him - as a chance to take the high moral ground.

- By JOHN RENTOUL

Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader in the Commons, has done well to use the old “early day motion trick” to put his party at the head of the small number of Labour dissidents and independents calling for Andrew to be stripped of all his royal titles. As this would require legislation, it means that MPs have a potential role to play.

Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, has tried to shut down discussion of the royal family in the past, but he was forced to clarify in 2022 that “there is no general prohibition on discussing of matters relating to the royal family in the House of Commons”. And because Keir Starmer does not want to get the government involved - his business secretary Peter Kyle insisted this is “a matter for the palace” - this gives the SNP a chance to use the issue to imply that the “Westminster establishment” is closing ranks to protect a pantomime villain.

An early day motion is no more than a press release: everyone knows that a motion asking for a debate on “an early day” is just a way of expressing an opinion, because as long as the government controls the parliamentary timetable, “an early day” means “never”. But because it takes the form of a parliamentary motion, the SNP can make it sound as if it is a precursor to legislation.