|
Policies - politics: society
Towards a New Constitutional Settlement:
An Agenda for Gordon Brown's First 100 Days and Beyond
Gordon Brown is committed to
a fresh programme of constitutional reform, aimed at breathing
new life into our democracy. In a Briefing published on Monday,
the Constitution Unit sets out a detailed programme to make
his vision a reality. The Briefing highlights the main action
points for the first 100 days, the next two years and the
next parliament, and the difficult choices along the way.
The Constitution Unit’s
director Professor Robert Hazell says: “The first 100
days will reveal the nature of the new Prime Minister’s
commitment to constitutional reform. If he is serious, he
needs to make some key machinery of government changes and
put reform-minded people in charge of the constitution.”
But Professor Hazell also cautions
against attempting too much too soon: “We can also judge
Brown’s seriousness by what he decides not to do. He
would be unwise to make an early bid to introduce elections
for the House of Lords; the legislation will not get through
in this Parliament. Likewise with a British bill of rights.
That requires careful planning and consultation, and cannot
be introduced before the next Parliament”.
The main action points highlighted in the Briefing are as
follows:
Action in the first hundred
days
1 Set out
an overarching vision and clear direction of travel
- Give a major speech developing the three key Brown themes;
the individual, community and the state; liberty, responsibility
and fairness; and Britishness. Explain the objective: is it
a written constitution, a new constitutional settlement, or
further specific reforms? Set out a vision based on a new
compact between citizens, communities and the state.
2 Engaging
wider public participation
-Announce interest in a commission or Constitutional Convention
or Citizens’ Assembly being asked to define what should
go in a British bill of rights and how the House of Lords
should be reformed.
-Transfer e-petitions from No 10 to Parliament
3 Restoring
accountable and collective government, including:
-Announce the end of sofa government and the restoration of
Cabinet government.
-Issue a revised and tightened Ministerial Code of Conduct
-Scrap powers of patronage over House of Lords and Church
of England
4 Building
a new relationship with Parliament
- Announce the immediate end of prime ministerial patronage
powers to the Lords, giving greater power to the Appointments
Commission
- Make all senior public appointments subject to parliamentary
scrutiny
- Announce a new convention that war and deployment of troops
overseas will only take place after proper parliamentary debate
and approval
5 Upholding
British values and defending the Union
- Announce the creation of a new Department for the Nations,
to replace the separate Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Offices. If the new Department takes in the constitution,
this could be a Department of Citizenship
- Hold regular summits with the new First Ministers and Deputy
First Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Express interest in a British bill of rights and responsibilities
to protect fundamental British values.
Action over
the next two years
- If cross-party agreement on party funding is not possible,
legislate for tighter spending limits on campaign expenditure
- Introduce a Civil Service Act to ensure the fundamentals
of the civil service cannot be changed without the consent
of Parliament
- Review the main prerogative powers to subject them to parliamentary
scrutiny.
- Review the position of all constitutional watchdogs, so
that they have a closer relationship with Parliament
Items for
the next Parliament
- Establish a body to draft the British bill of rights, with
wide public participation
- Consider holding a referendum on the British bill of rights,
and on any new voting system for the House of Commons
- If no agreement is reached on major Lords reform, legislate
to create a statutory Appointments Commission, to end the
hereditary by elections and to break the link with the peerage
- Referendum on primary legislative powers for the Welsh Assembly
- Strengthen the capacity of the Welsh Assembly to match its
increased powers, by increasing its size from 60 to 80 members. |
