We need change to fix our broken politics

Public anger at the expenses scandal is part of a deeper frustration with our whole political system. Labour have had 13 years to mend our broken politics. But Gordon Brown is just not capable of doing it. He has tried to block the publication of MPs’ expenses, he has dithered over reform and it took days of Conservative pressure to force him to take away the whip from three Labour MPs facing prosecution over expenses.

Today, after avoiding a leadership election and bottling a general election, Gordon Brown is trying to fiddle the electoral system to save his own skin. It’s clear he will say anything to cling on to power.

We can’t go on with five more years of Gordon Brown’s old politics. We need change and real reform of the political system. We will fix our broken politics with a sweeping 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. We will ensure that MPs can never use parliamentary privilege to evade justice, and reform lobbying laws so ex-ministers can’t use public resources for private gain. To get real political change we need a change of government.