Cameron promises political revolution

DAVID Cameron is set to promise a radical reform of the political system to restore public faith in Britain's democracy in the wake of the controversy over MPs' expenses, it emerged last night.

The Conservative leader is due to pledge to rebalance relations between parliament and the executive, scaling back the powers of the Prime Minister and government and giving MPs enhanced influence over legislation.

He will embrace reforms including limiting the use of the Royal prerogative, considering the introduction of fixed-term parliaments and giving MPs powers to choose the chairs and members of the influential Commons select committees which scrutinise the work of government departments.

In a newspaper article, Mr Cameron outlined the proposals he will unveil in a speech in Milton Keynes today.

He said: "I believe the central objective of the new politics we need should be a massive, sweeping, radical redistribution of power.

"From the state to citizens; from the government to parliament; from Whitehall to communities. From the EU to Britain; from judges to the people; from bureaucracy to democracy.

"Through decentralisation, transparency and accountability we must take power away from the political elite and hand it to the man and woman in the street."

Mr Cameron's intervention follows a series of proposals for constitutional reform from Labour ministers.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson yesterday called for a referendum on voting reform for Westminster elections, while Energy Secretary Ed Miliband proposed ending old-fashioned parliamentary procedures such as MPs addressing each other as the right honourable or honourable member. But Mr Cameron dismissed any suggestion of ditching the first-past-the-post voting system in favour of proportional representation, as Mr Johnson suggested.

"Proportional representation takes power away from the man and woman in the street and hands it to the political elites," the Tory leader said.

"Instead of voters choosing their government on the basis of the manifestos put before them in an election, party managers would choose a government on the basis of secret backroom deals. How is that going to deliver the transparency and trust we need?"

Mr Cameron cautioned that "tinkering" with the constitution would not resolve the tensions exposed by the recent revelations over MPs' expenses. "Much of the recent excited talk of 'revolution' is overblown," he said. "We need to keep a cool head and a sense of proportion. We mustn't let ourselves believe that a bit of technocratic tinkering here, a bit of constitutional consultation there, will do the trick."

He called for a "change of attitude" among politicians, which would see power passed down to neighbourhoods and local councils.

Beneath the anger over the expenses scandal was a deeper discontent in British society over a feeling of powerlessness and an "increasingly Orwellian surveillance state" symbolised by the government's ID card scheme, he said.

Mr Cameron added: "The anger, the suspicion and the cynicism – yes with politics and politicians, but with so much else besides – are the result of people's slow but sure realisation that they have very little control over the world around them, and over much that determines whether or not they'll live happy and fulfilling lives."

Setting out proposals for reform in today's speech, Mr Cameron is expected to say he would open up the legislative process by sending out text alerts on the progress of bills through parliament and by posting proceedings on YouTube.

And he said he would end the "pliant" role of parliament by cutting back on whipping during the committee stage of a bill's passage on to the statute book, when small panels of MPs go through the legislation line by line seeking to improve it and iron out flaws.

"There should be much less whipping during the committee stages of a bill," he said. "That's when you really need proper, impartial, effective scrutiny – not partisan point-scoring and posturing."

Mr Cameron is today expected to say he would strengthen local government by allowing councils to reverse unpopular decisions from the centre, like closing post offices or railway stations, by giving them the power to raise money to keep them open.

Last night, Tory sources indicated this would not automatically mean powers for the Scottish Parliament.

The Tory leader is also due to indicate his readiness to go further than Prime Minister Gordon Brown in curbing the use of the Royal prerogative, which gives the executive the power to take acts such as declaring war without consulting parliament. And he is expected to say he will "look seriously" at proposals to introduce fixed-term parliaments.

"We need to look seriously at the immense power prime ministers wield through their ability to call an election whenever they want," he said. "If we want parliament to be a real engine of accountability, we need to show it's not just the creature of the executive."