The voting rights of Scottish MPs are to be restricted after the Conservative Government narrowly won a vote on its controversial plans.

MPs backed ‘English votes for English laws’ (Evel) by 312 to 270.

But opposition parties accused Tory Ministers of endangering the future of the UK with the reforms.

Chris Bryant, the shadow leader of the House, warned the move was a "charter for breaking up the Union".

The SNP warned that the mood in Scotland "was darkening" over Evel.

There was also controversy after ministers suggested Scottish MPs could be barred from a future vote on Heathrow expansion.

Chris Grayling, the Leader of the House, said that the issue could be deemed England-only, despite its impact on Scotland.

In the Commons he told MPs that Evel offered a fair settlement for England in the wake of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But the SNP, Labour and other opposition parties warned that the plans would create “second class” MPs.

The changes require the Speaker to judge if a Bill is ‘England’ or ‘England and Wales only’.

A new stage will also be introduced in the Commons in which only English MPs will be allowed to vote.

Mr Grayling previously pulled a vote on Evel in the face of potential parliamentary defeat.

Since then he has accepted a number of changes suggested by a Commons committee, including allowing the Speaker to set out why he or she certified a Bill as English or English and Welsh only.

Estimates resolutions, which decide public spending, will also be outside of the new rules, which Mr Grayling said should avoid problems with so-called Barnett consequentials.

These govern the amount of money transferred to the Scottish Parliament as a result of decisions in England.

Mr Grayling said that the proposals would “bring fairness to our devolution settlement and it is fairness that will secure the future of our Union."

He rejected accusations that Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish MPs would be excluded as “nonsense”.

But the SNP’s Pete Wishart warned the plans would set Scottish MPs against the Speaker and could "lead all the way to the Supreme Court".

Fellow SNP MP Tommy Sheppard accused Tory ministers of "pandering" to the English nationalism of Ukip.

He also claimed that the move was “payback” for the SNP’s success north of the border in this year’s General Election.

“Just because it is in your manifesto it does not make it right,” he urged Tory MPs as he warned the reforms would “drive a wedge between our two countries that is greater than any I could drive between them”.

But Tory backbencher John Redwood said that the plans delivered “justice” for England.