The leader of the British Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has promised on Monday «the greatest transfer of power» from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of Parliament, to the citizens of the United Kingdom if elected, with measures such as, for example, the abolition of the «indefensible» House of Lords.
Starmer on Monday presented Labour’s plans for the next parliamentary term, which, according to his estimates, would save the country 200 million pounds a year. The report, prepared by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, presents 40 recommendations, including giving new economic powers to local authorities and governments.
«I am very keen to see all the recommendations in the report implemented as quickly as possible,» said Starmer, who is confident that they could be implemented in the first five years of a future Labour administration.
Among these proposals is the elimination of the unelected House of Lords. «I think the fact that we have too much power in Whitehall — the street on which some of the main seats of British government are located — is holding us back.»
«Among the reasons why we failed to grow our economy over the last 12 years is that we didn’t allow every part of the UK to play its part economically,» the Labour leader has said on the BBC.
In addition to getting rid of the House of Lords — on Labour’s agenda for quite a few years — the proposals in this report also include, for example, transferring up to 50,000 Whitehall jobs to the outskirts of London, banning the vast majority of second jobs for MPs and eliminating foreign funding in UK politics.
It also envisages the creation of a new anti-corruption office, giving greater economic and fiscal powers to local authorities and governments, and including the Scottish Parliament in international agreements related to its economic areas and spaces.
The size and role of the House of Lords has been the target of public scrutiny especially in recent years, while the idea is growing, according to former Prime Minister Brown, that they are there «because they are friends of the Conservative Party and not because of their contribution to public policy».
Labour’s proposal is very ambitious as it would require its members to agree to leave, or at least be reformed in some way. The size of this chamber, with 830 seats, contrasts with those of other second chambers of other parliaments, such as the U.S. Senate, with 100.
