would the prime minister consider coming to faith and paying tribute? >> i would indeed. lawrence daly was a friend of mine as well as of many people. i think there are few people who did more to advance conditions than he did. he fought for miners safety that made it happen that there were big changes in the safety in the mining industry and he fought for miners to get the rights and the compensation all diseases and i believe that he and so many miner leaders who fought for good conditions in what is a very dangerous industry deserve the wholesale gratitude of everybody on all sides of the house. >> order. the statement of the prime minister. >> with permission, mr. speaker, i should like to make a statement about the government's proposal to invite the house to

agree further democratic reform including legislation before the house rises for the summer on the conduct of members of parliament. the house few months have shown us that the public require as an urgent imperative higher standards of financial conduct from all people in public life and an end to any abuses of the past. there is no more pressing test for this parliament than respond immediately to this public demand. i believe, like every member here, that most members of parliament and to public life so that they can serve the public interest. i believe also that the vast majority of mps work hard for their constituents and demonstrate by their service whatever party that they are in politics not for what they can get but for what they can give. but all of us have to have the humility to accept that public confidence has been shaken and the battered reputation of this institution cannot be repaired without fundamental change. at precisely the moment when the public need their politicians to be focused on the issue which affect their lives, and fighting

back against recession and keeping people in their jobs and homes, the subject of politics itself has become the focus of our politics. so, mr. speaker, we cannot move our country forward unless we break with the old prices and old ways and each of us have a part to play in the hard task of regaining trust not for the sake of the different parties but for the sake of our common -- and none of us can do the job that our constituents can do the job to do. we muss redress the abuses and make sure nothing like this can ham again and make sure the public make sure we are individual mps accountable to our constituents. it will be what we do4ky now, n just what we say to prove that we have learned and changed. so first, mr. speaker all mps past and futures expenses should and will be published on the internet in the next few days. home claims submitted by mps from all sides of the house over the last four years must as we

have agreed be scrutinized by an independently led panel it will ensure repayment where necessary and lead to discipline where there have been inappropriate (y claims. and i know, mr. speaker, you're working urgently to conclude this reassessment process. we must now publish the past four years' receipts and start and conclude the scrutiny process as quickly as possible. the house has already agreed to restrict expenses further to those needed for parliamentary duties alone, to cut the cost of housing, to require all spending to be receipted and to ensure that incomes from second jobs are fully accounted for. and all parties have committed themselves of the independent kelly committee once they are received later this year provided these proposals meet increased transparency and reduce cost to the taxpayer but mr. speaker these steps are necessary. alt its first meeting yesterday they atic council decided to bring forward new legislative

proposals, new legislative proposals before the summer adjournment on two issues which have been the subject of constructive cross-party discussion. first, we propose that the house of commons and then subsequently the house of lords move from the old system of self-regulation to independent statutory regulation. this will mean the immediate policies of authority. it will delegated power to regulate the system of allowances no more can westminster operate of the last century where the members make up the rules and operate themselves. the new proposed authority would take over the role of the fees office in authorizing claims. it will oversee the new allowance system falling proposals committee of policy life it will it will disallow claims and require repayment and require stangs in cases of financial irregularity and i welcome the cross-party support for these proposals that will be

contained in the bill that we will introduce very soon. i believe that the whole house will also wish to agree that as part of this process, the new regulators should scrutinize efficiency on policy expenditure and as sir christopher kelly said that policy cost less. second the house will have a statutory code of conduct for all mps qualifying their role, detailing what the electorate can expect and the consequences from those who fail to deliver. it will codify much more clearly the potential offenses that must be addressed and the options available to sanction. these measures will be included in a short self-standing bill on the conduct of members in the commons which will be introduced and debated before the summer adjournment. mr. speaker, this will address the most immediate issues about which we know the public are most upset. but it will only be the first stage of our legislation on the constitution. the current system of sanctions

for misconduct by members is not fit for purpose. it does not give the public the confidence they need that will be dealt with an appropriate way. the last person to be expelled from the house was 55 years ago in 1954. it remains the case that members can be sentenced to up to one year in prison without being required to give up their parliamentary seat. the sanctions available against financial misconduct are corruption have not been updated to meet the needs of the time and this is not a modern and accountable system that puts the interest of constituents first. there will be consultation from all sides of the house for new proposals for dealing effectively with inappropriate behavior including potentially the option of effective exclusion and recall for gross financial misconduct identified by the new independent regulator and by the house itself. the house of lords need to be reformed as well and at their request i've today written to the senior salary's review body

to ask them to review the system of financial support in the house of lords to increase its accountable to enhance its transparency and to reduce its cost. for the first time also there will also be new legislation for nice din plinary sanctions for the misconduct of peers in the house of lords. we must also take forward urgent modernization of the procedures of the house of commons so i'm happy to give government support from my right honorable friend from the chairman of the administration select committee that we will work with a special parliamentary commission comprising members from all sides of the house for a defined purpose to decide on necessary reforms including select committees processes more democratic, scheduling more and better time for nongovernment business in the house and enabling the public to initiate direct issues for debate. and given the role that it place on sweeping aside allowances and holding power to account i

believe we should do more of practice of freedom of information so the next step the justice secretary will set out further plans to look at broadening the application of information to include additional bodies which also need to be subject to greater transparency and accountablity. this is a public money and they should know how it is spent. i should also announce that as part of extending the availability of official information and our response to the review we will progressively review the time for official documents. as the report have recommended we have considered the need he to strengthen protection for particular sensitive material and there will be protection of the royal family and cabinet papers as part of strictly limited exemptions but we will reduce the time for release of all other official documents below the 30 years to 20 years so that government information accessible for the widest group of people, tim burner lee has good time credit to epi.

us drive the opening up of access to government data on the web over the coming months. in the last 12 years we have created the administration's end of the heredity principle in the house of lourdes and introduced the freedom of information and the human rights act. and through recent changes we have introduced royal prerogatives and making the executive more acceptable to parliament on central issues like the declaration of peace and war and appointments and, of course, on treaties so too we will want to renew and establish the legitimacy of parliament itself by it becoming more accountable to the people. mr. speaker, democratic reform can't be led in westminster alone and that must be led by engagement with the public. this is part of the lesson of the last month that the public want to and should be part of the solutions and we must build a solution that engages citizens of themselves and parties of all

none and all faiths and no faiths and over the coming months the government will set out proposals of debate and reform on five remaining constitutional issues. first we will move forward with reform of the house of lourdes. the government's white paper published last july for which there is backing from other parties committed us to an 80 or 100% elected laws. we must now take the next steps as we complete this reform. the government will come forward with published proposals for the final stage of house of lourdes reform before the summer adjournment including the next steps we can take to resolve the position of the remaining heredity peers and other outstanding issues. second, setting out the rights that you can expect and that comes with the rights as a british citizen is a balancing of establishing government and power to the people. it is to the some extent extraordinary that in britain we still have a largely unwritten constitution. i personally favor a written constitution. i recognize that changing this would represent a historic shift in our constitutional

arrangements so such proposals will be subject to wide public debate and ultimately the drafting of such a constitution should be a matter for the widest possible consultation with the british people themselves. third, is the devolution of power and power of people themselves in the local communities. the house will be aware of the proposals for the completion of devolution of policing and justice of northern ireland. next week the common commission will report with recommendations on the future of devolution in scotland within the united kingdom. the government's 2006 act permits further devolution in wales on which there are discussions. my right honorable friend the community's secretary will set out how we will strengthen the engagement of citizens in the democratic life of their own communities as we progress the next stage of devolution in england so we must consider whether we should offer stronger clearly defined policies to local government and city regions and strengthen their accountability to local people. mr. speaker, last year we published a review of the

electoral system and there is a long-standing debate on this issue. i still believe the link between the mp and constituencies are essential and that it is the constituency that is best able to hold mps to account. we should only be prepared to impose change if there's a broad consensus in the country that it would strengthen our democracy and our politics by improving the effectiveness and legitimacy of both government and parliament and by enhancing the level and quality and public engagement. mr. speaker we will set out proposals for taking this debate forward. fifth, we will set out proposals for increasing public engagement in politics to improve electoral registration we will consider how we increase the number of people on the register and help to combat fraud on receipt of the youth commission report and having heard from young people themselves, we will set out the steps we will take to increase the engagement of young people including whether to give further consideration to the voting age. mr. speaker, as we come forward with proposals, in each case the government will look to consult widely. all proposed reforms will be underpin by cross-party

discussions. our proposals will also be informed by leading external figures including academics and others who command public respect and have a recognized interest in or expertise in the different elements of democratic reform. i expect to conclude in time to shape the -- i expect this to conclude in time to shape the governments forward legislative period and the queen's speech. mr. speaker in the midst of all the recriminations let us seize the moment to list our politics to our higher standard. mr. speaker, i don't think the house is behaving well today when it's debating its own future and how the public see what we do. in the midst of all the rancor and recriminations about expenses let us seize the moment to lift our politics to a higher standard and let us revive confidence and on this i think we all at least agree that britain deserves a political system that is equal to the hopes and character of our people. let us differ on policy.

that is inevitable. let us stand together for integrity and democracy. that is now more essential than ever and i commend this statement to the house. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the prime minister for his statement. i have to say he read it so quickly i'm not even sure he convinced himself. he has spoken a lot about constitutional change and innovation. but, of course, isn't the real change we need not really much of an innovation at all. isn't the answer to our discredited politics to our dis-ilition jude country and our desperately weak government a general election. two weeks ago the prime minister didn't call an election, two years didn't call a election because he wouldn't win it and he said he didn't call one but it might cause chaos. how many more excuses will they come up with before it is recognizing it is time for people to have their say? let me turn to the proposals

themselves. the country is too centralized. parliament is to weak. and the government is too top-down, too secretive and too unwilling to give up power. above all isn't the real problem that people feel shut out of decision-making, unable to control the things that matter to them? now, there is much in this statement that we support. not least because it has taken from the comprehensive case reform that i made to the open university. they have at least mastered the powers of copying things. more power for local government we agree but let's not stop there. why not abolish the regional quangos that have taken away from local government. we support great independence but why can't the prime minister say today that these watchdogs should be freely elected and not appointed by the whip's office? this is -- i accept this is a difficult decision for him in a

way it's a difficult decision for me 'cause it means giving up patronage. we will back a parliamentary standards authority to supervise all matters relating to mps paying expenses but there are still serious questions to answer, not least how it relates to this house and to whom it will be ultimately accountable. the problem is, mr. speaker, the prime minister has promised changes countless times before. he promised it for his labour party two years ago again in his first statement as prime minister in the house, again in his speech on liberty in the autumn of 2007. he promised it in two queen speeches when he specifically pledged a constitutional renewal bill and it was first moved in november of 2007. then again in december 2008. why has it taken so long? if you look at the things he's proposed in the past, a british day, an institute of

britishness, a written constitution, reform of the lourdes and all endly launched and relaunched but nothing ever happens. it's not so much a government strategy. it's a relaunch distraction policy which gives him something to talk about when he's in desperate straits. you can't make this one up, the latest council for democratic renewal. it sounds like something out of north korea. but let's be clear. let's be clear about what this is. it's not some outwardly looking convention that's open to the public. it's not even cross-party. it's just a bunch of ministers talking to themselves. mr. speaker, what these proposals fail to address is the central question that we believe should lie behind any program for constitutional reform. how do we take power away from the political elite and give it to the man and the woman in the street? let me give him some real ideas. isn't it time to allow people the opportunity to put forward a proposition and have it voted in a local referendum.

shouldn't we introduce so-called citizen initiatives. isn't it time to give local people to stop excessive taxation and give them the right on referendum on massive council tax rises. when we as politicians promise a referendum as we all did on the european constitution, shouldn't we stick to it? isn't it things like that that really sap the faith that people have in politics? at the heart of any constitutional reform for transparency. isn't it time to publish all public spending national and local online so each taxpayer can see precisely how their hard earned money is being spent? now, if the test of effective constitutional reform is pushing power downwards then isn't it case nothing fails more than proportional representation? let me reaffirm we believe this is a recipe for weak coalition governments. instead of voters choosing their government on the basis of manifestos, doesn't it all too

often means party managers choosing governments on the basis of back room deals? our view is clear. we should not take away from the british people the right to get rid of weak, tired and discredited governments. the most powerful thing in politics is not actually the soap box or the dispatch box. it's the ballot box but particularly when it leads to the removal van. and i have to say to the prime minister, won't people conclude that he only started talking about proportional representation because he fears he's going to lose under the existing rules? if we want an electoral system that is fairer, shouldn't we be considering making sure that each constituency has equal worth. right now some constituencies have twice as many voters as others put a premium on some votes. isn't it time to ask the boundary commission to redraw boundaries to make them the same size? and at the same time, shouldn't we be reducing the size of the house of commons? mr. speaker, isn't it the case that it's the no the alternative

vote people want right now? they want the chance to vote for an alternative government. aren't these proposals a pretty sorry attempt to distract attention away from a prime minister who's lost his authority, a cabinet full of second preferences and a labour government that's led this country to the brink of bankruptcy. >> mr. speaker, all mps sitting in this chamber must know what their constituents are telling them and i don't think the leader of the opposition's statement reflects to them. 70% did not vote of the elections last week and 40% voted for parties other than parties represented here. and he has to accept -- he has to accept that people want us, first of all, to clean up our politics quickly. and i would have thought -- i would have thought he would have had mention of that in his response to the statement. i think we want all support for the party sport for the code of conduct export standards commissioner and i think we want all party support also for the

way we deal with issues of exclusion from the house of commons that is something that has not been faced up to before. so i think the precondition any debate about the future of our democracy must be our determination together to recognize with humility that this house has got to clean up its affairs as a matter of urgency and every member of parliament shares a responsibility for doing that. and before we get into the different issues that divide our parties over other -- divide the parties -- divide the parties over other issues, i think the conservative party -- >> it's unfair. it's unfair indeed. order. >> the problems of expenses are in every party in this house of commons and have got to be sorted out as a responsibility that all of us accept. he's quite wrong the constitutional renewal bill has been discussed by both committees in both houses and

has been in draft form and we've been debating so we can get it absolutely right. it will come before the house of commons for its second reading very soon but before that we have to deal with the expenses crisis. and the constitutional reform bill roovmz the royal prerogative in its very key areas the ability to declare peace and war is no longer a matter just for the prime minister or for the executive. it is a matter for the house of commons. and there's a whole range of areas where the executive has surrendered power to the house of commons and will continue to do so. but time is right also for parliament to make its affairs more accountable to the public. i think i am the first prime minister to propose a rule to make sure that select committee can work in a new way and i hope that everybody will take up the opportunity to debate this and to discuss it. i'm also proposing that we lock at the means by which the public petitions that now come to the number 10 could come to parliament in such a way that they could be debated.

as for -- as for the devolution of power, as for the devolution of power let us be clear we devolve power to scotland and wales and we put forward constitutional proposals including the freedom of information which are now being seen to be changing our political system as a result of transparency. we want to expand on that. the lead proposal is to open up information more widely so information about money can be put on the internet. so there is a range of proposals here. as far as electoral reform, i think it's fair to say that before the leader of the opposition asked me questions at prime minister question time he had a statement that i was making to the house of commons and, therefore, it was clear to him what i was proposing and what i was not proposing and it is clear from what i've said that the debate is one where we take into account the

relationship between the constituency and the member of parliament. and that is something we want to do but we are not going to turn our back on any discussion on reform. i suspect that only the conservative party not the liberal party and not other parties want to do that now and he's got to wake up to the fact that there are many systems of representation that are already used in the united kingdom. he did not reply to the proposals that we're put forward in the allows of lourdes. i take it he still favors 80 or 100% elected representation of the laws and he favors the proposals that we're going to put forward to reform the house of lourdes. the house of lourdes has got to face up to its responsibilities that its discipline procedures and it's procedures for dealing with its finances is not good enough and that is very much part of the measures that we are putting forward. these proposals, mr. speaker, are an essential element of restoring trust in the government and i hope it has all party support. >> i would like to thank the prime minister for his statement and, of course, everyone agrees that the political crisis requires big changes in the way

we do things so i welcome this death bed conversion to political reform from the man who's blocked change at almost every opportunity for the last 12 years. the labour party will lose the next general election. so they must be in place before the election if they are to mean anything at all. anything else would be a betrayal of the british people, who are angry and demanding that we change the rotten way we do politics for good. this is no time for more committees, more reviews, more consultation. we've been debating these issues for decades. is it not now time to get things done? i strongly welcome the prime minister's commitment to moving towards an elected house of lourdes. i also strongly welcome the move

to a parliamentary standards authority and an mps code of conduct. these changes should be implemented immediately with no more delay. so will he ask this house to forego its summer recess so that we can push through all the necessary changes to clean up politics and will he make sure that his immediate proposals include the right for people to sack their mp if it's been shown they've done something seriously wrong. mr. speaker, i am dismayed that the prime minister is completely silent on the issue of party funding. how on earth can we possibly justify this? we cannot allow our politics to go the way of americans where elections have become a contest of advertising budgets not ideas. why delay when he could just implement the hayden-phillips recommendations in the party funding bill that's already being debated in another place. the way forward has been agreed. why this he refuse to act? turning to electoral reforms,

mr. speaker, i welcome any movement away from our discredited system. a system which gives his government un-trameled power when only 1 in 5 people voted for him. a system which gives mps safe seats for life. that's why they like it. as robin cooke recognized as his new home secretary realizes -- >> order. >> you got to go quiet. it's something you've got to do. i know it's difficult for you. but try to be quiet. try to be quiet. the right honorable gentleman. >> mr. speaker as robin cooke recognized as his new home secretary realizes this cannot go on. so why is he seeking to restart a general debate on electoral reform? we had the update. the independents power inquiry, we can't afford to wait for a cross-party consensus because

westminster stitcher. we don't neat need to wait for his cabinet to make up its mind. it's not up to them to decide how our democracy works. people should now be given a say so will the prime minister now call a referendum this autumn to give people a choice? a choice between the bankrupt system we have now and serious proposals for reform which finally puts people in charge, not the politicians. mr. speaker, the prime minister has nothing to lose. this is no time for his trademark timidity. just get on with it. will he cancel the recess and pass the legislation that we need and give people the say we deserve. >> mr. speaker, let me say we agree first of all -- we grow and i'm glad he has said this explicitly that we will all support the new parliamentary standards authority. we'll move from self-regulation to statutory regulation. we can do that very quickly and it can be enacted very quickly

to start almost immediately. we will all agree to the code of conduct and that means mps will have sent down the conditions they may be excluded from the house of commons. we will modernize the means by which we deal with those issues where exclusion or recall is a possibility and i think there should be a debate on that over the next few weeks. we have got to make sure, first of all, that the country sees us dealing with the changes that are necessary and i still think the mood of the house today is not one that recognizes sufficiently the gravity of the problems we face with our constituency and have got -- and have got to deal with as a matter of immediacy. as for the summer adjournment i hope we can make progress but i would ask the leader of opposition thought to perpetrate the myth that for 12 weeks or 14 weeks during the summer and autumn mps do absolutely nothing. they are in their constituencies and working with their constituencys and let us