SIR Keir Starmer has pledged to “unbind” Britain from a centre that has “not delivered”, as Labour unveiled its blueprint for political and economic devolution across the UK.
The party’s leader claimed people are being held back by a “broken model” that “hoards power in Westminster”, with the country “crying out for a new approach”.
Speaking at the launch of the report of Labour’s commission on the UK’s future, headed by ex-premier Gordon Brown, Sir Keir said he sympathised with the sentiments of those who voted to leave the EU, despite once backing remain himself.
“They wanted more control over their lives, more control over their country,” he said.
“They wanted to create opportunities for the next generation – build communities they felt proud of, have public services they could rely on.”
READ MORE: Gordon Brown unveils plans to 'make Britain work for Scotland'
He said in order to build a future the country deserves, Britain needs change involving “higher standards in public life, a wider spread of power and opportunity and better economic growth”.
“No more navel gazing or facing inwards – higher, wider, better – that is how Britain must set its sights,” he said.
“I am determined that, with Labour, that’s exactly what we will do.”
Mr Brown said his commission on the UK’s future was proposing “the biggest transfer of power out of Westminster and Whitehall” that “our country has seen”.
The former PM presented his commission’s findings as a response to the desire for change expressed by voters who supported Scottish independence.
He said: “Just as in 2016 a lot of people voted for Brexit because they thought that was their only chance of change, in 2014 a lot of people voted for independence because they thought that was the only change on offer.
“We are changing that entirely today. We are breaking new ground.
“The ground on which the battle is fought in Scotland is changing forever because what we are saying is we are offering change within the UK that will benefit Scotland, as against change by leaving the UK, which we think will do damage to Scotland.
“That’s going to be the debate from now on in – not independence versus the status quo, but change within Britain versus change by leaving Britain.”
He said the report identified 288 “new economic clusters”, 200 of them outside London, capable of creating tens of thousands of high-paying jobs.
The panel suggests giving local communities new powers over skills, transport, planning and culture to drive growth, and replacing the House of Lords with a new democratic assembly of nations and regions.
Earlier, Sir Keir said Labour would aim to abolish the “indefensible” upper chamber “as quickly as possible”, ideally within its first term.
The policy to abolish the House of Lords was announced by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar back in July.
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar unveils Labour's plans to abolish House of Lords and overhaul 'wounded' devolution
Sir Keir did not commit to a timeframe for the move, stressing discussions are pending on when “exactly” it would come to pass.
He had hinted that some of the measures – including a new democratic assembly of nations and regions to replace the Lords – may have to wait for a second term Labour government.
But quizzed repeatedly on when his party would enact the proposal to abolish the upper chamber during a broadcast round on Monday, he said he hoped to deliver the change within the first five years of governing.
Sir Keir suggested the move, along with all other proposals in the report, could be achieved within Labour’s first term.
“I’m very keen that all of the recommendations in the report are carried out as quickly as possible,” he told BBC Breakfast.
“So we will now have after today a process of consultation testing the ideas … with a view to how do we implement them?”
Pressed on whether he hoped to abolish the Lords in Labour’s first term, he told Sky News: “Yes, I do.
“Because when I asked Gordon Brown to set up the commission and do this, I said what I want is recommendations that are capable of being implemented in the first term.”
The commission calls for a new constitutional law setting out how political power should be shared, with a requirement for decisions to be taken “as close as meaningfully possible” to the people affected by them.
There would be an explicit requirement to rebalance the economy to spread prosperity and investment more equally across the UK, and the right to healthcare based on need rather than ability to pay would be enshrined in a set of protected social rights.
Towns, cities and other areas would also be brought together as part of a co-ordinated economic strategy, with some 50,000 civil service jobs transferred out of London.
Meanwhile, the report advocates extra powers for Scotland and Wales, with restored and strengthened devolution in Northern Ireland.
The panel also proposes a series of measures to clean up politics, including a “powerful” new anti-corruption commissioner and a ban on most second jobs for MPs.
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