The call follows further revelations
over his persistent lobbying of government ministers, lobbying that has real
clout and leverage thanks to the royal veto.
MPs are legally required to seek
Charles's consent on a whole raft of new laws thanks to the "Queen's and
Prince's consent" rule. The effective veto is conducted in secret
and allows Charles to insist on changes to laws that affect his private
interests.
Revelations in today's Daily Mail
that Charles continues to meet ministers in secret have added concern given
that he has real leverage over elected politicians.
Speaking earlier today, Republic's chief executive officer
Graham Smith said: "We welcome the Commons inquiry
into the royal veto and will be giving evidence ourselves in due course.
If Charles believes he has a right to secretly lobby ministers and
exercise a veto over new laws then he should be called to the Commons to give
evidence himself."
He aded: "It's no good Charles sending
his PR men to give evidence, he needs to turn up and explain himself in public.
He seems keen to meet MPs in private, now is the time to hear what he has
to say out in the open.
"Charles's claim that his
meetings with ministers are part of his preparation for being king are simply
untrue. Charles is abusing his position to promote his own interests and his
pet issues. Such dishonesty needs to be directly challenged by MPs and in
public."
Charles is well known for his support of bloodsports and was a regular at the local Meynell and Quorn Hunts. It would be interesting to discover whether Charles has been lobbying for the repeal of the Hunting Act that banned hunting with dogs.
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