Senior Labour figures call for political reform of UK

The group of senior Labour figures is led by former PM Gordon Brown

A group of senior Labour politicians has launched a new campaign for political reform of the UK.

Led by former prime minister Gordon Brown, the group wants constitutional changes to deal with the "economic and social challenges" across the country.

The Alliance for Radical Democratic Change group includes Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford.

It was launched at an event in Edinburgh on Thursday evening.

Other speakers at the launch included Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin.

It comes six months after a report was released by Mr Brown on the future of the UK.

It recommended the abolition of the House of Lords and its replacement with an elected "assembly of the nations and regions", as well as deeper devolution to the cities and regions of the UK.

The 150-page report followed a nationwide consultation which its authors said showed that communities from around the UK often felt isolated from a Whitehall-centric system of government.

• Labour plan would 'make UK work for Scotland'

• Labour would abolish the House of Lords

• Labour promise biggest ever transfer of powers

Mr Brown wrote in the Scotsman earlier this week that major reform was needed to ensure that "the way we run ourselves is more democratic, less corrupt, and more responsive to the wishes of people from across our diverse nation".

In a joint statement ahead of the launch, the alliance of Labour politicians said: "There is a UK-wide demand for change.

"We recognise the urgent need for working together - locally, regionally and nationally across the UK - to reform our constitution so we can deal with the current economic and social challenges faced in every area of our country."

It added that the alliance would put forward plans to "devolve effective economic and social powers to the regions and nations, to make our cities and regions centres of initiative for full employment and good jobs".

Mr Drakeford said: "We need a new strengthened union which guarantees that no-one will find themselves unable to eat or relying on a food bank; facing old age or illness at the margins of society.

"A union which offers strong devolution for all parts of the UK, a union where all four nations are treated as equals."

The future of the House of Lords is being considered by Labour

Mr Burnham said: "Just like Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the north of England has suffered from an over-concentration of political and economic power in the South East of the UK.

"This is changing with the devolution of power out of Westminster, but in our experience it works best when it goes deep."

Apology

Meanwhile, Scotland's independence minister has urged Mr Brown to apologise to the people of Scotland, claiming the promises he made alongside then prime minister David Cameron in the lead up to the 2014 referendum have not been kept.

In a statement released ahead of the Edinburgh rally, Jamie Hepburn said Mr Brown had "made promises that would have made even snake-oil salesmen blush".

He said Mr Brown "could not have been clearer that if people in Scotland voted against independence, in his own words, that 'we're going to be, within a year or two, as close to a federal state as you can be'."

The SNP MSP said since the independence vote in 2014, Scotland has been "dragged out of the EU against our will" and has seen the powers of the Scottish Parliament come "under attack like never `before".