Will the end of the House of Lords - the upper house of the British Parliament - soon come? At least that is the promise of Labor leader Keir Starmer.
Starmer, who presented the "New Britain" report today, said that it is no longer possible to defend the existence of the House of Lords, whose members number 786 people and are not elected. In its place, the report proposes to establish the Assembly of Nations and Regions, which will redistribute the powers in the United Kingdom .
The report was compiled at Starmer's request by former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Starmer is speaking in Leeds, today.
Comprehensive reform, photo: E.P
The House of Lords, whose members include political appointees, bishops of the Church of England and members who received their seats by inheritance, is in fact a supervisory body of the Parliament, with limited authority to delay the approval of laws (except for the budget law) but not to suspend them.
This is an institution whose roots are deeply rooted in the English tradition, which over the last two centuries has lost its power.
In recent times, the criticism of the appointments to the house has also increased.
Abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with the Assembly are part of the reform, signed by Gordon Brown and promoted by Starmer.
Among other things, it proposes to grant more administrative independence to the local government (instead of distributing budgets from London), to remove about a tenth of the public sector employees from London, and to prohibit legislators from having a second job.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Tribute to Scotland, photo: GettyImages
Labor is leading for a long time in the public opinion polls, and their victory in the next election, scheduled for January 2025, seems certain for now.
"This will be the biggest transfer of power from Parliament to the British nation," Starmer said.
The outline for the "New Britain" also includes the delegation of powers to the Parliament in Edinburgh, which will be able to participate in the international agreements concerning the regions in Scotland.
It can be assumed that this is a tribute to the Scottish government, which is asking for more independence and even holding a referendum on division from the United Kingdom.
The Brown outline is not a Labor policy document but a basis for a public debate, after which the party will formulate its platform.
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