Member

I want to be very clear that legal advice prompted the Government to reconsider and withdraw their earlier postponement decision. I have quotes from James Cleverly, who has been a shadow Minister in the other place and continues to have a role there, talking about postponement and not disclosing legal advice. It is a long-standing convention observed by successive Governments that the existence of and substance of advice from law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence. The legal powers to postpone elections remain valid and there has been no finding against the Government in this instance. The focus is now on delivering legally robust and certain electoral timelines for councils. We have always said that decisions will be made on the basis of the evidence available to us and this is what has happened—