LONDON:
As part of a constitutional overhaul to share economic development after Brexit, the opposition Labour Party of Great Britain promised to abolish the unelected and “indefensible” House of Lords on Monday.
After a turbulent era in politics and the economy, Labour appears poised to unseat the ruling Conservatives in the upcoming election, which is scheduled for January 2025.
In 2016, many voters chose to leave the European Union due to a perception of a lack of democratic control, according to Labour leader Keir Starmer, who pledged “the largest ever transfer of authority from (the UK parliament in) Westminster to the British people.”
Former prime minister Gordon Brown’s reform plan for the party calls for more devolution to the UK’s regions and nations, including Scotland, where the nationalist administration is pushing for a second independence vote.
Brown suggested further devolution, with the Edinburgh parliament being included in international accords that concern Scottish territories. Brown was the driving force behind the victorious 2014 campaign for his fellow Scots to remain in the United Kingdom.
Speaking to a crowd in Leeds, northern England, Starmer said that the UK’s “failure of economic development over the previous 12 years” was due in part to the country’s overreliance on London and southeast England.
The plan is not yet an official Labour policy. Next, a public consultation will be subject to amendments that will be included in the party’s manifesto for the following election.
Within the first five years of a Labour administration, Starmer said he planned to push through the final changes, which may involve moving 50,000 civil service posts outside of London.