Cooper hits out at Cameron for “trying to flood the House of Lords” with Tories

Labour leadership candidate Yvette Cooper has today accused David Cameron of “vandalising democracy” for pursuing constitutional changes solely to benefit the Tories. The Shadow Home Secretary has called for an immediate freeze or cap on the number of new peerages until reforms to the House of Lords are underway, and wants to see a written constitution drawn up for the UK.

The Conservatives are planning a swathe of constitutional reforms, which Cooper claims have no cross-party support. These include boundary changes that will benefit the Conservatives, as well as reducing the number of MPs from 650 to 600. At the same time, Cameron will soon announce new peerages, despite there already being 791 members of the Lords, and with no plans to reform the upper chamber.

Through the proposed anti-trade union legislation, Cameron will also be changing the way political parties are funded in a way that almost solely impacts the Labour Party, while not affecting the Conservatives’ income. Cooper highlights the scrapping of the Human Rights Act, English Votes for English Laws, and attempting to remove Speaker of the House John Bercow.

In response, she proposes a constitutional convention, which would include all major political parties, civil society organisations and constitutional experts to draw up principles for a written constitution. They would look at replacing the unelected House of Lords, and further devolution to Scotland, England and Wales – including consultation with local government bodies for devolution to regions, cities and towns.

Announcing the proposals, Cooper said:

“Our uncodified constitution is being stretched at the seams and our democracy undermined by David Cameron’s pursuit of narrow party political interest.

“For generations the constitutional settlement in Britain has relied on political parties and Prime Ministers respecting democratic principles and not using constitutional change to pursue their own party purpose. Instead David Cameron and the Tories are vandalising democracy by pursuing their own narrow party political interest rather than seeking public consent or cross party consensus for major changes to our democratic institutions

“The list of Tory party political attempted assaults on our uncodified, and partly unwritten constitution is long – trying to flood the House of Lords with more Tory appointments, to change voting in the Commons to favour the Tories, to change boundaries to help the Tories, to change party funding to hurt the Labour Party and to nobble the Speaker of the Commons. And all of it without cross party consensus, or public consent. The Conservatives are acting without a shred of integrity.

“At the same time there is a long term need for major reform especially after the Scottish referendum, to reflect greater devolution, the need for a new framework for England and Wales and for local government too. And it must include long overdue reform of the House of Lords.

“Our current constitution is out of date. But we can’t rely on this Prime Minister to modernise it in the wider interests of democracy rather than the narrow interest of the Tory Party.

“As Leader I will set up an extra-Parliamentary constitutional convention in the absence of action from the Prime Minister. I want all parties and all parts of civil society involved in this. If David Cameron won’t establish a fair and proper democratic and constitutional reform process, I will.”