Scrapping union affiliation fee 'not new idea'

Ed Miliband will promise to make politics more "open, transparent and trusted" by reforming Labour's relationship with trade unions.

The party leader will pledge to abolish the automatic "affiliation" fee paid by three million union members to Labour.

Mr Miliband will also say the selection of parliamentary candidates should be widened, with the general public helping to choose them.

It follows a row with the Unite union over picking a candidate in Falkirk.

Billy Hayes, from the Communication Workers Union, said severing the link between the trade unions and Labour could reduce the influence regular people have on politics.