Labor Party leader Keir Starmer on Monday promised “the biggest transfer of power from Westminster to the British people” if he wins the next UK parliamentary election, including abolishing the House of Lords.
In a speech in Leeds in northern England, Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain’s main opposition force, presented the contents of a report titled “A New Britain”, which he commissioned from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2020.
The document proposes reforms to the British political system, including the abolition of the House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament????????
Starmer advocates for a “new, smaller, democratically elected second chamber” that is “less expensive but also representative of UK regions and nations”.
The size and training model of the House of Lords has been the subject of debate and reform attempts for several years, mainly due to the increase in the number of members, currently around 800more than 650 in the House of Commons (lower house of parliament).
Lords are appointed members for life. due to experience and knowledge in certain matters, political interest, inherent to the position they hold and hereditary privilege.
Britain’s largest opposition party intends to first consult on the proposals in Gordon Brown’s 150-page report before deciding whether to include them in its next election programme.
The next British parliamentary elections have no set date, only due to be held in January 2025, but most analysts predict that they will take place in 2024.
“By empowering our towns, cities, regions and nations to work together on plans for local growth, the Labor Party will relaunch our economy”Starmer argued.
The new powers include areas such as professional training, transport, urban planning or culture, promoting the development of “hundreds of poles of economic activity”, added the labor leader.
Another idea is to decentralize and transfer 50,000 civil service jobs out of the British capital.
By reforming the civil service, Keir Starmer hopes to improve relations between the central government and the home rule executives of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and to counter the Scottish independence movement.
“This will be the debate from now on, not independence versus the current situation, but change within the UK,” Gordon Brown said.
Source: Observadora
