SCOTTISH MPs could still have the power to veto England-only laws such as on fox-hunting under the UK Government’s contentious English Votes for English Laws(Evel) proposals, Ministers have admitted.

Today, the Commons will have a key debate and vote on changing Westminster’s rules, Standing Orders, to ensure that, on specifically so-called England-only legislation, nothing gets through without the consent of a majority of English MPs.

But Ministers admitted that at the end of the process on those bills deemed England-only and which have the consent of English MPs, all UK MPs will have the final vote. This potentially means that, on controversial issues, the SNP, as the third party with 55 MPs, could be the deciding factor.

David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, said Evel was about delivering “equilibrium to the devolution settlement” and greater fairness for England.

But he acknowledged: “Ultimately, Scottish MPs will potentially have the final say as to what the arrangements are for fox-hunting in England, Sunday shopping in England, for the arrangement of the northern powerhouse in England, because all MPs will continue to have all the votes that they currently have.”

Asked how English MPs would feel if, having been told Evel would produce a fairer post-devolution settlement to England, they saw England-only legislation, supported by English MPs, vetoed by Scottish MPs, Chris Grayling, the Commons Leader, replied: “One of the things that is very visible among English MPs is a desire to protect the Union and an acceptance that England needs to be big in its approach to the Union and recognise it’s the largest country and be thoughtful about how we approach these issues.”

He went on: “These measures consciously and simply prevent the English from having something imposed upon them by the UK Parliament that disagrees with the English vote that’s happening in England. It doesn’t provide a route for the English to legislate for England in the face of opposition from the UK Parliament; it prevents the opposite from happening.

“It gives the English the power to say No but it doesn’t give the English the power to say we will override the UK Parliament. The UK Parliament has the final say,” he added.

But critics of the proposal, the SNP and Labour, which will vote against Evel today, believe the policy – which will include a key legislative stage voted on only by English MPs – effectively creates two classes of MPs.

Pete Wishart, the SNP Shadow Commons Leader, described the Government’s plans as a “dog’s breakfast”, which would prove to be unworkable in the long run.

“They will make Scottish MPs second class in the unitary UK Parliament, they will politicise the office of Speaker in forcing him to take the decision to exclude Scottish MPs from bills and they create an unnecessary new level of parliamentary procedure in a very tight parliamentary timetable,” he said.

Labour’s Ian Murray, the Shadow Scottish Secretary, was equally dismissive, describing Evel as “an incomprehensible mess” and said: “We need to strengthen our democracy and bring power closer to people, not take a wrecking ball to the constitution for a measure that isn’t going to get to the root of the problem.”

He added Labour would call for a “sunset clause to ensure that, if it does pass, this is only a pilot and we can review the situation next May”.