Labour unveils plan to hand power to the regions

Labour has promised to give muscle and economic power to the regions in what it is calling the “biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people”. Under the proposals, 50,000 civil servants would be moved from London, the House of Lords would be replaced with an elected chamber and support would be given for 300 “regional clusters of connected industries”. The plans have been put forward by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, who was commissioned to lead the review by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Brown has also proposed scrapping the system under which English councils compete for “levelling-up” funding from central government. “The very process of bidding costs cash-strapped councils millions, while also diverting staff resources,” the report said. The 40 recommendations, which included broad proposals to allow local authorities to keep more tax receipts, will be consulted on before decisions are made about whether to include them in the party manifesto.   To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews