U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Government outlined a framework for constitutional renewal Tuesday in London. The reform aims to reverse the “apparent breakdown in trust in the political process” according to a news release issued Thursday, June 4th at Number10.gov.uk, the official site of the Prime Minister’s Office.
At Tuesday’s Downing Street meeting, the Cabinet agreed to establish a National Democratic Renewal Council (NDRC) and to introduce new provisions to the Constitutional Renewal Bill that will establish a new code of conduct for MPs and a new Parliamentary Standards Authority to supervise MPs’ pay and expenses.
The Government agreed to take additional steps, including:Opening up for debate wider questions about political and constitutional reform; Arranging cross-party talks on the modernisation of Parliament and issues such as the role of select committees and the ability of the public to petition Parliament and trigger debates; and Conducting a wide-ranging debate throughout the country, via the NDRC, on key reform issues and reporting on the public’s priorities in the autumn.
Briefing journalists on the Constitutional Renewal plans on Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said the Government wished to legislate “as soon as possible” on the issues at hand. The Prime Minister is expected to announce further details next week.