Nick Clegg's speech on radical political reform plans Mon, 07 Jun 2010

In his first speech to Parliament as Deputy Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today outlined his radical plans for political reform.

The plans include:

■A referendum on the Alternative Vote

■The right to recall MPs who break the rules

■Fewer, more equal-sized constituencies

■Making the House of Lords wholly or largely elected

■Fixed five-year parliaments

■Devolving greater powers to the Scottish Parliament by implementing the recommendations of the Calman Commission

■A referendum on devolving more powers to the Welsh Assembly

Key extracts of Nick Clegg's speech are below:

We all share a single ambition: to restore people's faith in their politics and their politicians. This government's plans will do just that. Because our programme turns a page: On governments that hoard power. On parliaments that look inwards rather than outwards. On widespread disengagement amongst people who feel locked out of the decisions that affect their everyday lives. So this is a moment when we have a real opportunity to change our politics for good...

…This government is determined that no government should be able to play politics with the dates of a General Election. Parliamentary terms should be fixed for five years. So we need a new right for parliament to request a dissolution, taking away the Prime Minister's traditional right to call an election when he or she wishes…

…We plan to strengthen the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly too, implementing recommendations from the Calman Commission's Final Report.

And, equally, Wales will get a referendum on further devolution. A decision that will be taken by the Welsh people...

…It's time to finish what was started three years ago in the cross party talks on party funding. Every party has had its own problems, but we all now have an opportunity to draw a line under them. So we'll seize that opportunity - we will pursue a detailed agreement on limiting donations and reforming party funding in order to remove big money from politics for good…

…We will bring forward legislation to ensure that, where it has been proven that an MP has been engaged in serious wrongdoing...Their constituents will have the right to organise a petition to force a by-election. When people have been let down by their MP in that way, they must not be made to wait until the next election to cast their judgement…

…The power of recall is just one of a range of reforms intended to shift power directly to the British people. We also want people to be able to initiate debates here in the Commons through public petitions. We want a new public reading stage for bills. We want people to be able to instigate local referenda on issues that matter to their neighbourhoods. And, we want people to decide directly if they want to change the system by which they elect their MPs, which is why there will be a referendum on AV, and I will be announcing the date of that referendum in due course...

…It should be up to the British people to elect their second chamber. To that end, I want to announce the following: One: I have now set up a committee, which I will chair, to take forward this reform, composed of members from all three major political parties, as well as from both Houses. Two: it will be explicitly charged with producing a draft bill by no later than the end of this year. The first time legislation for an elected second chamber will have ever been published… I will not hide my impatience for reforms that are more than a hundred years overdue.