Fury over 'lobby-fodder' Scots MPs

A concerted attempt to overpower the government was defeated by only 35 votes - Mr Blair’s lowest-ever majority - after Labour whips drew 41 of their Scottish members.

Their intervention has led Labour rebels to start planning a formal mechanism to end the issue of the so-called West Lothian question, permanently stopping Scottish MPs voting on England-only matters.

It is the first time since devolution Scottish Labour MPs have been used to quash a rebellion on a matter which only affects England.

The vote on foundation hospitals did not see a significant increase in the number of rebels on the same vote two months ago - 62 Labour MPs - but support for the government evaporated as normally loyal MPs stayed away from the House.

The rebels’ ranks were swelled by the Scottish National Party, which performed a U-turn by arguing that the policy may incrementally affect Scotland’s budget through the Barnett Formula after 2007.

Had Scottish MPs from all parties stayed away, Mr Blair would have scraped victory on a more slender 23 votes. However, this did not assuage Labour rebels who said the time had come to deal with Scots voting on English matters. Peter Duncan, Scotland’s only Tory MP, said: "Scottish Labour’s lobby-fodder will prove to be a travesty for the British constitution. They have made devolution unstable."

Another rebel, Alice Mahon, said that after having supported Scottish devolution, she now feels "betrayed" that Scottish MPs had not decided to abstain in recognition that English MPs can no longer influence purely Scottish matters. "They’ve voted to bring in an element of privatisation into the English health service and they’re not having it themselves. I’m absolutely furious," she said.

Ms Mahon has talked to allies about an early day motion (EDM) - a petition designed to test levels of cross-party support in the back-benches. "Something has to be done about this. I’m thinking of laying down an EDM and I can count on a lot of support from English MPs. This cannot be allowed to go on."

Bob Wareing, another Labour rebel, said the problem of Scottish MPs influencing England-only matters is personified in John Reid, the Hamilton North and Bellshill MP who was made the Health Secretary for south of the Border last month.

"John Reid is a friend of mine, but a Scot should not be running England’s health service," he said. "He’s introducing measures that don’t affect his own constituents and there should be some control over that."

The fury of the English rebels, he said, will be shared by voters who he claimed believe they have had a two-tier NHS hospital system foisted on them by their Scottish counterparts.

"The English public will be outraged. This has been bubbling along for a long time now and soon it will come to the surface."

The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill would move England’s hospital system more in line with the European model where the state pays for the service, but does not organise it.

The bill’s main principle is to remove Whitehall control and allow hospitals operational freedom. Crucially, patients would be given a choice of hospital when they are referred for an operation and allowed to weigh up the reputation of the hospital, length of wait and location.

Rebels argue this would create a system of "winners and losers" as hospitals with poor reputations would soon lose patients and, therefore, funding.

The bill is officially opposed by 132 Labour MPs who have signed an EDM protesting against it. Although fewer than half this number voted against the government, 72 Labour MPs abstained. The Scottish Executive has rejected the plans.