Brown reforms to 'restore trust in politicians'

Gordon Brown will today set out plans to restore trust in politics and make the Government more accountable to Parliament.

At his second meeting of the Cabinet in less than two days as Prime Minister, he will hold a "lengthy discussion" on his constitutional reform agenda.

A senior ally, new Justice Secretary Jack Straw, indicated today that the moves would involve redressing the balance of power between the Government and MPs.

Mr Brown will make good on his commitment to give Parliament a say in declarations of war and take intelligence assessments out of the hands of press officers.

The plans, trailed before Mr Brown became Premier, will be seen as a symbolic break with the Tony Blair era dominated by the controversy over Iraq.

Mr Straw said today: "There isn't any doubt that one of the reasons why trust in politicians and the Government has been reduced is because of what happened over Iraq."

It was a matter of "profound regret" that intelligence about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction turned out to be inaccurate, he said.

Mr Brown held his first meeting of his new Cabinet yesterday, following a sweeping reshuffle.

He will make more junior ministerial appointments today.

In a more substantial meeting than yesterday's 45-minute session, Mr Brown will today outline to Cabinet colleagues "the conduct of Government and the conduct of ministers", his spokesman said.

Mr Straw, who is spearheading the reforms, indicated this morning that Mr Brown wanted to address the relationships people have between each other and with the state.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Mr Straw said the Government had made efforts to make itself more accountable.

But he added: "At the same time, we are aware of the fact that there is a public perception - which is not entirely unjustified, let me say - that there's too much power in the hands of the executive.

"So what we are looking at is ways that that can be re-balanced."

Mr Straw it was "simply wrong" that the executive made the decision to go to war without the need for parliamentary approval.

He added that there would have to be exceptions, where decisions had to be made in an emergency or in secret, but many modern military conflicts did not arise overnight.

Among the measures he has proposed is giving MPs the right to hold US-style confirmation hearings for major public appointments.

He has also talked about bolstering the parliamentary oversight of the intelligence services in the wake of the fiasco over the infamous dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

Assessments of intelligence will also be put at arms' length from press officers, Mr Brown has indicated.

"I'm convinced that the net result of these changes we will be discussing this morning... will produce a better sense of what it means to be British and what it means to be a British citizen," Mr Straw added.

Mr Brown's first full day as Prime Minister was marked by the deaths of three more British service personnel in Iraq, in a stark reminder of the challenge he inherits there.

Mr Straw said: "Iraq is obviously a matter which is continually on the mind of ministers and being discussed."

After discussing reforms with the Cabinet today, Mr Brown will set out his proposals to MPs on Monday in his first Commons statement as Prime Minister.

The need for reform and to re-engage a public disillusioned with the political process was one of the key themes of Mr Brown's campaign for the Labour leadership.

Labour's difficulties on that score were underlined by the disclosure yesterday that Tony Blair had been interviewed for a third time by Scotland Yard detectives investigating the cash-for-honours affair.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said Mr Brown would be putting forward a mixture of specific measures and some "greener" more consultative proposals.

Mr Brown is also expected to make good promise to lead a Government of "all the talents" with further appointments from outside the normal political arena.

He raised eyebrows yesterday with the choice of Sir Mark Malloch Brown, the former deputy secretary-general of the United Nations and an outspoken critic of American foreign policy, as Foreign Office Minister covering Africa, Asia and the UN.

Mr Brown's spokesman was forced to stress his commitment to strong relations with the United States and the White House, pointing to Sir Mark's commitment to reconstruction in Iraq.

It is now expected that the Prime Minister will look to make further outside appointments to junior ministerial positions in order to demonstrate the inclusiveness of his new Government.

Former CBI director-general Sir Digby Jones was last night being tipped for a peerage which could enable him to take a ministerial portfolio.

An offer to bring some Liberal Democrats into the Government was rejected last week by party leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

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