The government has been warned it could face a constitutional crisis as a result of Scottish devolution.

Labour think-tank, the Fabian Society, has said serious problems could arise if a Westminster government became dependent on Scottish votes to secure English legislation.

The influential body has recommended a constitutional commission be set up to help resolve what it believes are the problems caused by devolution.

The study, called The English Question, says devolution should not be regarded as a finished settlement.

It adds that, although the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are less than a year old, their presence is already leading to a number of anomalies.

Public spending

These, according to the society, include a lack of representation at a regional level in England.

The so-called West Lothian question - where Scottish or Welsh MPs vote on English matters - is identified as a problem.

The old argument that Scotland enjoys higher public spending under the Barnett formula is also highlighted as an anomaly worthy of consideration by a constitutional commission.

The government has been warned a failure to closely examine the issues raised by devolution could lead to a constitutional crisis.

The Fabian Society has previously called for the number of MPs to be cut and for them to be given a proper job description.

The society said MPs spend too much time in their constituencies because their workloads there have soared.

As a result, they were failing to scrutinise legislation properly.