The Labor government will seek to abolish the House of Lords and carry out the “biggest transfer of power” in Westminster in the first few years, Sir Keir Starmer said.
The Labor leader unveiled plans for sweeping constitutional amendments that would give local leaders more power when he released a new report prepared by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Along with Mr Brown and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, Sir Keir said he was determined to redistribute power outside of London.
He insisted that the report’s recommendations could be presented within the first term of the Labor government.
But he said there would be a “consultation” first to figure out exactly how the “transfer of power” from Westminster and Whitehall to local authorities would take place.
“It won’t be a chat. The reason we’re having this conversation now is because I don’t want to do it later, we won’t discuss when we’re in power, we’re going to execute,” he said.
One of the main proposals in the new report is to abolish the House of Lords during the first term of the Labor government.
Sir Keir did not give a time frame but said it would be done as soon as possible and ideally within the first term.
He said that the Lords “cannot be defended” in their current form, and when asked to abolish hereditary peerages, he said, “The sooner we can abolish them, the better.”
“I think the last Labor government has gone further in this direction than any previous government, and I would be surprised if anyone could make a reasonable argument in favor of hereditary peers. Of course it has to happen.”
He added that there are currently no recommendations for Lords to move to another city in the UK.
Mr Brown’s report suggested that the Labor government could move 50,000 jobs from Whitehall to new areas, arguing that this would save at least £200m a year in the long run.
Asked about his preference for a new Council of Nations and Regions, Sir Keir stressed that he would not create any new posts for politicians.
The council will bring together existing representatives from regions and countries to “replace the joint ministerial group that hasn’t worked very well,” he said.
“These are not new policies that we invent. These are not newly elected positions, they make much better use of the representatives we already have,” he said.
In its report, the Labor Committee on the Future of the UK proposes to provide local communities with new skills, transport, planning and cultural empowerment to spur growth and replace the House of Lords with a new democratic assembly of nations and regions.
Brown said his proposals would allow regional representatives to meet in a council chaired by the prime minister “to unify the agendas of the various bodies that comprise it.”
He said the report identified 288 “new economic clusters”, 200 of which are outside London, that could create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs.
“The Council of Great Britain is made up of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the government, sometimes meeting with the different regions of England in the Council of Nations and Regions, but sometimes it’s just English law,” he said.
Sir Keir has responded to criticism that the constitutional reform proposal is inconsistent with what voters need during the current economic crisis.
He argued that what society needed was not a “band-aid” but a long-term solution for change.
He added: “So many people in this country feel they are not being heard,” he said.
“We have to fundamentally change it so that it works for everyone – I don’t need this answer, it’s taking too long.
“We will continue to work on this patch forever. We have been doing this for 12 years. That’s one of the reasons we’re stuck.”
The Labor leader was also asked about his previous proposals to restrict MPs from working outside the home.
The report proposes a series of policy cleanup measures, including the appointment of an anti-corruption commissioner and a ban on most part-time jobs.
Sir Keir said the proposals would be considered along with other elements of the report.
Source: I News
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