David Cameron set out plans to radically reform the British political system in a speech at the Open University.
He said the current political crisis highlighted the need for "sweeping reform" and stressed that "a bit of technocratic tinkering here, a bit of constitutional consultation there" would not be sufficient.
He warned that people feel "increasingly powerless" and "at the mercy of powerful elites that preside over them" – and outlined plans for a "massive, sweeping, radical redistribution of power”:
"From the state to citizens; from the government to parliament; from Whitehall to communities. From Brussels to Britain; from judges to the people; from bureaucracy to democracy."
He promised a Conservative Government would "replace bureaucratic accountability with democratic accountability" with local control over schools, housing and policing and more elected mayors.
He pledged to cut the number of MPs, publish all parliamentary information online in an open-source format, and curb the power of whips in parliament and spin doctors in the government.
And he said he would "seriously consider" the option of fixed-term parliaments when there is a majority government:
“If we want parliament to be a real engine of accountability, we need to show it's not just the creature of the executive."
David ended by stressing, "The effects of this redistribution of power will be felt throughout our politics with people in control of the things that matter to them, a country where the political system is open and trustworthy, and where power is redistributed from the political elite to the man and woman in the street."
Read David's speech on Fixing Broken Politics
Replay the webcast of David's speech and online Q&A session
Read David's Blue Blog post