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The Union Jack flies in front of the British Parliament with Big Ben
Photo: Matt Dunham/ dpa
The British upper house - the "House of Lords" - is considered a parliamentary oddity: It consists of political mandate holders, nobles with hereditary titles and bishops of the Church of England.
The members are not elected but appointed for life.
According to the opposition Labor Party, this should not remain the case.
She discusses a proposal to abolish the House of Lords, which appears to be approved by the party leadership.
Since 1999, the seats in the upper house can no longer be inherited, but there is no upper limit for the number of members.
Ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for example, made his brother Joseph a member.
In the event of an election victory in 2025, Labor is aiming for reform: "I think the House of Lords is untenable," Labor leader Keir Starmer told the BBC.
The plans envisage "abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with an elected House of Parliament that has a really strong mandate".
The concept was designed by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
At the heart of the 40-point plan is the abolition of the British House of Lords in its current form.
Controversial appointments of new members had repeatedly caused outrage.
Starmer said there is a sense that many are only members because of their Conservative Party ties and not for community service.
Brown proposes a new composition of the Chamber.
It should therefore consist of members from the regions and countries of the United Kingdom and be a “smaller, more representative and more democratic” chamber.
Brown's recommendations also envisage greater decentralization, which aims to strengthen the UK's regions and countries.
"The greatest transfer of power of all time"
At an event in Leeds, northern England, where Starmer presented the concept, he promised "the greatest handover of power ever" from parliament to the people.
The Labor leader argued above all with Brexit and its consequences: Many voters decided to leave the EU in 2016 because they felt they had no democratic control.
The draft is initially based on recommendations.
The party now wants to discuss details and deal with further proposed changes before including the concept in its election program for 2025.
Labor has a good chance of winning the general election in January 2025.
In opinion polls, the opposition party is currently well ahead of the ruling Conservatives.
mrc/AFP/dpa
