The matter emerges from a memorandum obtained by a British newspaper.
EPA / AOP
A note from the Scottish Government acquired by the British newspaper Guardian has calledthat the bills before Parliament have “almost certainly” been secretly amended by the Queen Elizabeth to secure approval.
MEPs have not been aware of this. Under a procedure known as the Monarch’s consent, the ruler is routinely given a Preview of bills that may affect his or her personal property and public authority.
Representatives of the Queen have refused to say how many times she has called for changes in legislation. According to the court, the process is purely formal and the Queen does not use the procedure to change the nature of the bills.
However, according to a Guardian study last year, the Queen had used the consent procedure in recent decades to lobby for changes to British law.
Acts proposed in proceedings before the parliaments of Great Britain, Scotland and Wales cannot be enforced without the approval of the monarch when the bill could affect his public powers or private interests.
The procedure has been criticized on the grounds that it allows the ruler to make changes to the law to protect his property without the knowledge of the public.
In Scotland, the memo has caused a stir.
– This is a significant departure from the widely held principle that the ruler does not legislate for his own benefit, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland Alex Cole-Hamilton stated.