MPs warn Cook to stop decline of Commons

Robin Cook, the new Leader of the Commons, will be warned by senior MPs today to take urgent steps to prevent Parliament's reputation sliding into an irreversible decline.

On the eve of tomorrow's state opening of Parliament, an influential think-tank will call for an overhaul in the workings of Parliament, including the closure of the Commons chamber for a day a week, with its work transferred to select committees. And a cross-party group of senior MPs will launch a campaign for Parliament to reassert itself against being sidelined by an overbearing Government.

The Hansard Society ­ which set up a commission under the former Tory cabinet minister Lord Newton of Braintree, 18 months ago to recommend changes to parliamentary procedure ­ backs reform of Parliament to make it more relevant to voters and to ensure all backbenchers can make a useful contribution. Complaining that too much Commons time is wasted, it calls for fewer debates and more opportunity for MPs to cross-examine ministers. It says more time should be devoted to the deliberations of select committees, as they are more effective in holding ministers to account. The society says the chamber should be shut for a day a week and the time used for select committee work. Less than half of MPs sit on a select committee and the rest "drift between chamber, standing committee and chamber trying to find work", it says.

It also believes every MP should be given a seat on a select committee, which would take on a greater workload. The society also says committee chairmen should be paid salaries equivalent to ministers, to provide an alternative career structure for ambitious politicians who often only see their career path in terms of advancing through their party's ranks. The society calls for changes to Prime Minister's Question Time, which most MPs dismiss as a waste of time, to make it more relevant.

Meanwhile, a new pressure group, Parliament First, will be launched in Westminster today, to win back powers of scrutiny from the Government. Its chief proposal is for MPs, rather than the whips, to choose the members of select committees. Its backers include the former chancellor Kenneth Clarke and the father of the House, the Labour MP Tam Dalyell.