Politics

Reaction as Labour mulls abolishing House of Lords if it wins next election

The Labour Party could consider replacing the House of Lords with an assembly of regions and nations.

The suggestion was made in a draft of a constitutional review led by former prime minister Gordon Brown.

The draft also suggested handing new economic powers, including over tax, to local regions and devolved nations, according to the Guardian.

The newspaper, which saw a leaked copy of the review, reported that measures under consideration included allowing local democratically elected bodies to promote Bills in Parliament, giving citizens a constitutional guarantee of social and economic rights, and handing mayors power over local education, transport and research funding.

A new ethics panel could see a jury of citizens rule on complaints against MPs as part of a wider crackdown on standards in Parliament.

Second jobs for MPs could be banned and a new code of conduct could replace the ministerial code under the proposals.

Labour did not deny the reporting but stressed that the commission’s work is ongoing.

A Labour spokesperson said: “This refers to one of several early drafts. The commission has yet to take a view on all these issues.”

Party leader Sir Keir Starmer commissioned Mr Brown, who was in Number 10 from 2007 to 2010, to lead the review into possible reforms last September.

The agreed measures could reportedly be unveiled later this year.

Reaction to the proposed policy has poured in, with former Sun editor David Yelland describing such a move as “huge”.

Former spin doctor Alastair Campbell said it sounds like a “damn fine piece of work to me”, while James O’Brien said Boris Johnson was to blame for accelerating the case against the House after appointing “so many utterly unworthy people”.

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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