Conservative leader David Cameron (Image © PA)
What’s happening?
Conservative leader David Cameron has promised a radical reform of the political system to restore public faith in British democracy in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal. Writing in the Guardian, he declared he would trim back the powers of the prime minister and government and give MPs more influence over legislation. Cameron’s proposals to decentralise power would prompt the biggest change in the way Britain is governed in the modern era.
What are people saying?
“I believe the central objective of the new politics we need should be a massive, sweeping, radical redistribution of power,” Cameron wrote. “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.”
Why should we give a damn?
Cameron said a Tory government would:

• Limit the power of the prime minister by considering fixed-term parliaments, ending the right of Downing Street to control the timing of general elections.


• End the “pliant” role of parliament by giving MPs free votes during the consideration of bills at committee stage. MPs would also be handed the crucial power of deciding the timetable of bills.


• Boost the power of backbench MPs – and limit the powers of the executive – by allowing MPs to choose the chairs and members of Commons select committees.


• Reduce the number of MPs in Westminster, initially by 10%, and ensure every vote has an equal value.


• Open up the legislative process to outsiders by sending out text alerts on the progress of parliamentary bills and by posting proceedings on YouTube.


• Limit the use of the royal prerogative - which allows the prime minister, in the name of the monarch, to make major decisions - so parliament is properly involved in all major national decisions.


• End the culture of "sofa government" in Downing Street by limiting the number of spin doctors and strengthening the ministerial code. 


• Publish the expenses claims of all public servants earning more than £150,000.


• Strengthen local government by giving councils the power of “competence”, allowing them to do "whatever they like as long as it's legal." This would allow councils to reverse Whitehall decisions to close popular services, such as a local post office or a railway station, by giving them the power to raise money to keep them open.


• Create a new power of "citizen's initiative", with local referendums on issues where more than 5% of the electorate have signed up.


• End the "state monopoly" on state education, allowing any suitable organisation to set up a new school. Parents who are unhappy with their child's education will be able to send their child to a new school, backed by government funding.