Bafflement over English committee proposals

One of Gordon Brown's proposals for constitutional reform set out on 2nd July this year was a "Commons committee for each English region". (Indeed, the Liberal Democrats have long proposed a constitutional convention to sort out the "West Lothian question" amongst other points). That is not a million miles from the proposal today from the Conservatives for an English Grand Committee.

So I am a little baffled that the Conservatives are suddenly credited with a bright idea on this issue.

I am even more baffled as to why the government is dismissing the Tory idea and saying it would "break up the UK".