Labour's constitutional vandalism has weakened Parliament, undermined democracy and brought the integrity of the ballot into question - and its unbalanced devolution settlement has caused resentment in England and rising nationalism in Scotland and Wales.
We need radical change to restore public trust in politics and increase public engagement in the decision-making process. The changes required cannot be effected by constitutional tinkering as Labour seem to believe. The old politics cannot be repaired. A new politics is needed.
So a Conservative Government will:
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Restore the integrity of the ballot by introducing individual voter registration and addressing the disparities that exist between different constituency populations;
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Address the West Lothian question and give English MPs a decisive say on laws that affect only England;
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Replace the Human Rights Act, which has undermined the Government's ability to deal with crime and terrorism, with a British Bill of Rights.
REFORM OF MP's EXPENSES
Taxpayers have a right to know their money is being used sensibly and correctly - and we are proud to be leading the way on measures to increase openness on MPs' expenses. A Conservative government will:
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Scrap the Communications Allowance, which allows each MP to spend up to £10,000 a year on personal propaganda.
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Scrap the second homes allowance for MPs in grace-and-favour homes.
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Introduce tighter controls on former Ministers taking jobs after leaving office.
CUTTING THE COST OF POLITICS
We will cut the cost of politics by up to £120 million a year by sweeping away a range of subsidies, perks and allowances by:
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Cutting ministerial salaries by 5 per cent and freezing them for the duration of the next parliament;
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Scrapping the subsidies on food and alcohol in Parliament;
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Requiring ministers to share cars and drivers;
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Reducing the number of MPs by 10 per cent.
DIRECT DEMOCRACY
We want to see decisions taken at the lowest possible level and, where possible, by those directly affected. So we will encourage greater use of direct democracy, with measures including:
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The introduction of directly-elected police commissioners;
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Enabling local residents to veto excessive council tax rises;
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Allowing the public to table Bills in Parliament, if backed by a petition of one million voters.
STRENGTHENING PARLIAMENT
Many decisions, though, have to be taken at a national level – and we are committed to making Parliament stronger, more responsive, and more accountable.
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We will introduce an online public reading stage for bills, to enable the public to contribute to Parliamentary scrutiny of legislation.
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We will strengthen Parliament and ensure more effective scrutiny of legislation, not least of European Union laws.
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We will improve scrutiny of government legislation by giving MPs a free vote during the Committee stage of all Bills and allowing MPs unfettered power to choose the chairs and members of House of Commons Select Committees.
We will work to secure consensus for a substantially elected House of Lords.