Mayor Andy Burnham has praised Labour’s new report on constitutional change in the UK.
The report includes plans to abolish the House of Lords and massively increase devolved powers if Labour were to win the next general election.
The plans were released by the Labour leader and the former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier today as part of an overall report setting out vast constitutional changes to the UK.
Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer said the plans would be “the biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people”.
The proposals include moving 50,000 civil servant jobs outside of London, banning the majority of MPs second jobs, creating an anti-corrpution commissioner, giving far more powers to the nations, regions and local authorities, and establishing hundreds of ‘regional clusters of innovation’.
However Labour have not pledged all of these as policy, instead saying these are all to be reviewed and timetabled, with Starmer calling the report a guideline.
Andy Burnham issued his support on Twitter for the report, with Burnham having been a massive advocate for devolution since becoming Greater Manchester Mayor.
“This is radical and right from @Keir_Starmer and @UKLabour,” the Mayor tweeted.
The plans would likely see Manchester and other regions of the UK increasing their political and economic power.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson responded stating the government is “doing a great deal to devolve power to local areas” and has relocated “thousands of jobs” outside of London.
