Image source, PA Media

The report launched earlier by Labour recommends "empowering" mayors - giving them extensive powers over local training and education, as well as transport, infrastructure and planning.

Metro mayors have become an increasingly vocal force in English politics.

The Covid pandemic, in particular, brought their voices to the fore - with figures such as Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, playing a key role in negotiating the tiered system of lockdowns and the accompanying support packages locally.

Earlier this year, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced a plan to create more regional mayors, promising every part of England would have access to "London-style" powers and a mayor if it wanted one.

Just last week, a devolution deal handing more powers to Cornwall was formally offered - with the election of a new mayor slated for May 2024.

The idea of drawing government, and investment, out of Westminster, is on the rise - but currently national government continues to have the final say.

Proposals put forward in Labour’s constitutional review could fundamentally shift this balance of power.

Watch: What do Metro Mayors do?

Brown hopes to reset the debate in Scotlandpublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 5 December 2022

14:34 GMT 5 December 2022

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Scottish politics has become heavily polarised since the independence referendum in 2014, much to the Labour Party's disadvantage.

This once-dominant force has been squeezed into third place - with "yes" voters typically backing the SNP and "no" voters tending more towards the Conservatives than Labour, in defence of the union.

Gordon Brown is attempting to reset the debate with a package of UK-wide reforms that include some further devolution of power to Scotland and a bigger voice for Scotland in the UK and internationally.

These proposals will inevitably be considered too vague and weak by some independence supporters, and as a misguided attempt to appease nationalists by some supporters of the union.

Labour's hope is that instead of failing to please voters on either side of the debate, change within the UK could become a popular alternative to either independence or keeping the UK as it currently operates.

Image source, Getty Images

Labour's proposed reforms to the British political system would "make the UK work for Scotland", former prime minister Gordon Brown has said.

The party's plans include a binding veto for Holyrood over devolved issues and the power to join international arrangements such as the Erasmus scheme, which offers opportunities to study abroad.

Labour is also looking at replacing the House of Lords with an elected "assembly of the nations and regions".

Sir Keir Starmer said they would give the nations a "louder, prouder voice".

But the SNP described the package of measures as "underwhelming".

Read more here.

Tory MP Henry Smith says he has "always advocated" for reform of the House of Lords but he is "slightly uneasy" about the idea of a "chamber of regions".

He tells BBC Two's Politics Live programme that Labour's idea "seems like replacing one appointment system with another appointment system".

Smith suggests there should be a directly elected second chamber or "no second chamber at all".

He adds that it is "anathema" that the Lords is made up of people who are there because of birth or because they've been appointed.

However, he points out there are also lots of examples of not just the Conservatives but also Labour appointing allies to the Lords.

Image source, PA

If you're just joining us, or in need of a catch-up, here's a rundown of what's been happening today:

• Former PM Gordon Brown was commissioned by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to carry out a report outlining key proposals for change within the UK, external
• The pair delivered a news conference in Leeds suggesting the House of Lords should be abolished, some 50,000 civil service jobs should move out of London and local leaders should have new powers
• Devolved nations, particularly Scotland, were at the heart of the proposals put forward by the report
• It recommends extra powers for Scotland and Wales, with restored and strenghtened devolution in Northern Ireland
• It also proposes that the Scottish government should enter into international agreements and join international bodies in relation to devolved matters
• SNP's deputy leader Keith Brown told the BBC the proposals appear to be "the usual bat and switch we get from the Labour party in advance of an election, or more importantly in advance of a referendum"
• Starmer and Brown will join Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in Edinburgh at 16:00 GMT to discuss how the new vision for Britain will impact Scotland
• It has been met with criticism by the incumbent government, which says Labour is "playing politics" while they're focusing on priorities like the economy and immigration
• Tory MP Simon Clarke says Labour's plans to abolish the House of Lords are "utter stupidity" and Trade Minister Greg Hands says the opposition is "not fit for government"

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, the SNP deputy leader, Keith Brown, told the BBC it's all a bit underwhelming and asked: "Is that it?"

Mr Brown added: "This seems to be the usual bait and switch we get from the Labour party in advance of an election, or more importantly in advance of a referendum."

The SNP deputy leader said we were supposed to get Devo-Max in 2014, so "why is more Devo meant to be coming?".

He said it really just appeared to be the "same old, same old" from Labour.

Prof Tench tells the BBC Labour are suggesting a legal entrenchment of the Sewel convention, which was already tried in the Scotland Act 2016.

The Supreme Court ruled this to be without legal effect in the Gina Miller case about invoking Article 50 to leave the EU.

So he says he is unsure how that could be accomplished.

Then there is a load of information about the management of intergovernmental relations which the constitutional expert says is "very, very confusing".

Labour's constitutional reform includes proposals to extend devolution at Holyrood, and hand greater powers to English regions.

Constitutional expert Alan Trench tells BBC Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live he's not quite sure what to make of the paper.

It's a very "Brownian report" with 155 pages of detail mixed with high level ideas, says Prof Trench.

"It's just what one got used to when Gordon Brown was Chancellor of the Exchequer."

He says not that much power would be devolved to Scotland under the proposals, with no mention directly about borrowing powers.

Giving the Scottish Parliament the legal power to engage with international organisations caught the constitutional expert's eye.

The prime minister's official spokesman said the UK government was doing a great deal to devolve power to local areas.

He said thousands of jobs had already been relocated and levelling-up funds were available.

He said the government agreed with points made by the standards committee that outside interests and experience outside Westminster could bring benefits, adding that the process to seek an adviser was ongoing.

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Labour’s new paper includes a number of policy pledges for Scotland and Holyrood, should the party win power at Westminster.

These include:

• A “legally binding” replacement for the Sewel Convention, the idea that MPs should only legislate across devolved areas with express consent from Holyrood
• Extra foreign affairs powers to allow Scotland to sign up to international groups and agreements such as the EU’s Erasmus student exchange scheme
• A consultation on increased borrowing powers for Holyrood
• Legal protection for MSPs against any court proceedings stemming from statements made in parliament
• A “solidarity clause” requiring each of the UK’s governments to work together.

On a busy day for the Labour leadership past and present, Sir Keir Starmer and former PM Gordon Brown are now heading north.

They will be joined in Edinburgh by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, with the focus shifting from Yorkshire to Scotland.

Labour has unveiled proposed reforms to the British political system that would "make the UK work for Scotland".

Gordon Brown has been working on the party's plans, which put forward 40 recommendations, including proposals to abolish the House of Lords, and more devolution.

We're expecting the Scottish press conference to begin at 4pm and we'll bring it to you live here.

Image source, Getty Images

On devolution in Wales, Labour's report says there should be new powers for the Senedd and Welsh government - including over youth justice and the probation service.

But Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader, describes the proposals as "a damp squib" for Wales.

"By offering more powers to Scotland than to Wales, Labour is once again showing how much they are in awe of SNP-run Scotland while taking Labour-run Wales for granted," she says.

"Scotland is rewarded while Labour is content for Wales to make do and mend with piecemeal powers."

She adds that the report also "backtracks from previous Labour promises", including the 2017 Labour manifesto pledge to devolve policing to Wales.

Some more Conservative reaction to Labour's proposals now.

Trade Minister Greg Hands says Labour is "not fit or ready for government", claiming none of its policies, like abolishing the House of Lords, "will do much to help the economy recover from Covid and Putin's war".

"When you have 40 priorities, nothing is a priority," he adds in another tweet, external, in reference to the 40 recommendations set out in Labour's report.

A Conservative MP has blasted Labour's plan to abolish the House of Lords, calling it "utter stupidity".

Simon Clarke - the former levelling up, housing and communities secretary - argues in a tweet that creating an elected upper house would end up "fatally undermining the primacy of the Commons", and compares this to the "institutionalised gridlock" seen in US politics.

The MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland added: "If we want effective government of any colour [political party], this is a terrible idea."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wants to replace the House of Lords with a new democratic assembly of nations and regions.

Sir Keir earlier said his party would aim to abolish the “indefensible” upper chamber “as quickly as possible”, ideally within the first term of a future Labour government.

Image source, PA M

We've covered a lot of the report's, external main recommendations, like abolishing the House of Lords, but there's a lot more in there.

Here are some of the other key proposals:

• Transferring 50,000 civil service jobs and more government agencies out of London
• Giving local leaders new powers to "initiate local legislation in Parliament"
• Drive co-operation between UK governments through a new Council of the Nations and Regions
• Extra powers for Scotland and Wales, with restored and strengthened devolution in Northern Ireland
• Allow the Scottish government to enter into international agreements and join international bodies in relation to devolved matters
• Consider creating new directly elected mayors in Scotland
• A new anti-corruption commissioner "to root out criminal behaviour in British political life where it occurs".

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Keir Starmer is making a big pledge: a massive transfer of power away from London to the rest of the UK.

Is it the biggest priority facing the country?

Not everyone will think so. But Labour is adamant it is a way of making sure better decisions are made that work for local people in different parts of the UK.

Gordon Brown has been working on this report for two years. It’s a chunky read and there is a lot in there.

At the moment though, Labour isn’t endorsing everything. It’s a direction of travel, Sir Keir says, but he wants to now go away and discuss the detail and a timetable.

Will it actually happen?

Scrapping the Lords has been on Labour’s agenda for quite some time. Some are sceptical it is the best use of time for a new Labour government, if there is one.

But the hope in the Labour Party is this starts a process that will end in a rewiring of the UK’s political system.

Image source, PA Media

A launch event for Labour's report, external on proposed changes to the UK's political system has finished - here's a reminder of the main takeaways:

• Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Labour would ditch "a century of centralisation", which has brought Conservative "sleaze" and "scandal"
• The party would replace the unelected House of Lords with a smaller, democratically elected second chamber including representatives of UK nations and regions
• The report includes proposals for 288 economic "clusters" across the UK, capable of creating tens of thousands of high-paying jobs
• The influence of foreign money in UK politics would be curbed and most second jobs would be banned for MPs
• Party leader Sir Keir Starmer says he wants all the report's recommendations delivered "as quickly as possible" if Labour wins the next election, and insists the commission would not be a "talking shop"
• He says the recommendations are "deliverable in the first five years of a Labour government" - although he did not explicitly commit to a timeframe

• Starmer denies the proposals are "out of touch", insisting that they are relevant to the lives of ordinary people as they would help improve economic growth

The House of Lords - which Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to abolish - is the upper chamber of Parliament. Here is a quick guide to the role it plays in the UK.

What does the Lords do?

The House of Lords is independent from and complements the work of the elected House of Commons - where MPs sit.

Lords share the job of making and shaping laws, scrutinise the work of the government during debates, and use their individual experience to investigate public policy.

In recent years, the House of Lords has caused the government to make policy changes - including delaying cuts to tax credits until protections for low-paid workers were in place, and banning smoking in cars with children.

Image source, Reuters

How big is the House of Lords?

Currently there are 786 members of the House of Lords.

Members, also known as peers, are appointed by the King on the advice of the prime minister.

While up to 26 peers are there because they are Church of England archbishops and bishops, and some are hereditary (where eligibility for a seat in the Lords is passed through a family).

How much are Lords paid?

Most Lords do not receive a salary for their parliamentary duties, but they are eligible to receive allowances and travel expenses.

Some members of the Lords do receive a salary because of the offices they hold - like the Lord Speaker and government ministers.

Asked which extra power mayors would be given under his plans, Starmer says the answer is not just about control over resources - but also over housing, transport and further education.

Pressed on whether his proposals could force mayors and regions to compete with each other for investment, Starmer says the reality would be "quite the opposite".

"Cooperation is hardwired into this report," he insists.

A local reporter in Leeds asks where the money would come from to invest in Yorkshire.

Starmer says he wants to make sure that "resource, as well as power, comes out of Westminster and Whitehall" - which means control over money and decision-making being handed over to local areas.

He adds that it's "completely wrong" for government to control "pots of money" and ask local areas to bid for cash.