Obituary: Lord Houghton of Sowerby
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.One of Douglas Houghton's most far-sighted ideas was the proposal he put forward during the Select Committee on the Civil List 1970-71, writes Paul Richards [further to the obituary by Tam Dalyell, 3 May]. The Select Committee, established by Harold Wilson, included Willie Hamilton and Joan Lest-or, and was established to solve the problem of the Civil List failing to keep up with inflation.
Even in those more deferen-tial times, the tabloids complain-ed about the "Queen's pay rise". Houghton's solution, driven by his strong loyalty to the Crown, was to establish a "Department of the Crown" instead of the Royal Household, and bring the annual expenditure of the monarchy before the House of Commons for an annual vote.
The Houghton Plan became for a short while Labour Party policy, and was narrowly defeated at the Select Committee by one vote. If Houghton's plan for reform of the monarchy's finances, to make them more transparent and accountable, had been implemented, many of the problems faced by the Royal Family in later years might have been averted.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments