The head of the opposition, favored to become the next ‘prime minister’, presents a historic reform that seeks to decentralize power in favor of the autonomys and regions
Britain’s Labor leader, Keir Starmer, presented a wide-ranging program of constitutional and institutional reform this Monday, which includes consideration of eliminating the House of Lords – in his view unelected and “indefensible” -, devolving more powers to to devolve the self-governing governments and power to the regions and municipal authorities of England. It represents the “biggest transfer of power from Westminster to the British people,” according to the Leader of the Opposition and most favored candidate to take over the helm of the United Kingdom in the next parliamentary election, according to polls of vote intent.
The polls show Labor a marked rise, while the Conservatives, the party now in government led by Rishi Sunak, fall to unprecedented levels of unpopularity. All this adds value to the project made public on Monday by Starmer, who supported the proposals and conclusions of the report “A new Britain” (A new United Kingdom), which he entrusted to a committee headed by former Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown .
Also head of the UK Treasury during the 2008 financial crisis, he is committed to a revolutionary transformation of the government system, underpinned by the principle of subsidiarity, with decisions being made at the level closest to the “population and communities”. Their report lists 40 recommendations for fundamental changes to “clean up politics”, restore voter confidence and rebalance the economy so that “the people of our four nations feel represented and empowered to make their own shape our future and our collective ambitions.” .”
The roadmap for “New Britain” (British politicians tend to refer to the United Kingdom when they speak simply of “Britain”), passes through the abolition of the historic House of Lords, currently made up of 92 hereditary seats of former and current major landowners and about 800 other life members, often appointed by outgoing Prime Ministers. Brown proposes replacing it with an Assembly of Nations and Regions, with “electoral legitimacy” and with “complementary” functions to those of the House of Commons, which will strengthen its fundamental legislative role and its ability to overthrow the executive. preserve. This second chamber will be the “protection of the Constitution of the United Kingdom” and the new “distribution of power” within the country. As its name implies, it will be made up of representatives from the central and regional governments and from the respective regional and municipal authorities.
It in turn proposes “Councils of Nations and Regions”, structured on three different levels, which will ensure the strengthening and maintenance of cooperation between the different poles of power, with an emphasis on the coordination of economic development. Among them, the Council of England would be the connecting link between the United Kingdom government and “local government” and the mayors of England’s major conurbations. In addition, the so-called ‘Great Chamber’ will be set up in Westminster Parliament to debate and legislate pure English laws.
Starmer approved the report without committing directly to implementing any of the 40 recommendations should he win an election scheduled for the winter of 2024. For now, he will open a period of consultations within and outside Labor – the report states for a national debate – to determine what issues and changes will be part of the election programme. The aim, as he explained during the presentation of the project in the English city of Leed, is to decide and refine the “program of change” so that the implementation process would begin as soon as Labor’s election victory was confirmed, as polls predict .
“The rebuilding of the economy devastated by 12 years of Conservative failure is what drives this report and the next Labor government,” said Starmer, before noting that his team “is not short of ideas or ambitions”. According to his calculations, the reforms would be fully implemented in five years and would save the country £200m a year, largely by simplifying political structures. While aware of the historical weight abolishing the House of Lords would carry, Starmer stressed that it is an unelected body and “indefensible”. “The fact that we have too much power in Whitehall (the street where some of the main government headquarters are located) is holding us back,” he said.
Brown has delivered a 155-page document, the culmination of two years of work and analysis of conditions in every British district. Scotland is being offered to expand its area of jurisdiction, including entering into international relations in cases transferred from Westminster and greater borrowing power and economic flexibility. “We are offering changes within the UK that will benefit Scotland, rather than changes for leaving ‘Britain’,” he said.
Tony Blair’s former partner compared the proposal to the Labor victory of 1997, when both introduced “rapid and radical political changes”, from the independence of the Bank of England to the self-government system or European human rights law still in force. applied in the early phase of neo-labourism. Starmer asked for time to agree on the program in the pressing climate of economic crisis and international instability.
Source: La Verdad
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