Tories vow 'people power manifesto'

David Cameron's Conservatives promised a 'people power manifesto'
12 April 2012

The Tories promised to give voters the chance to kick out law-breaking MPs between elections as part of a raft of measures that will form part of what they are dubbing a "people power manifesto".

Party leader David Cameron is to unveil the party's manifesto next Tuesday, it was revealed, as he prepared to embark on his second day of whirlwind General Election visits to all corners of the UK.

After the final Commons Prime Minister's Questions session, Mr Cameron will head to Bolton and Wales to highlight what he calls Labour's "tax on jobs".

He was boosted on Tuesday by the backing of three more bosses from well-known businesses for his plan to partially halt the planned rise in National Insurance using £6 billion of efficiency savings.

Key among the Conservatives' proposals to reform Westminster politics amid mounting public disillusion in the wake of the expenses scandal is a US-style "power of recall".

If elected, they would put lay members on the Commons disciplinary body and give it the power to recommend constituents have the right to start a petition to force a by-election.

Should 10% of local voters sign up within 90 days, then there would be a new contest.

The party will also renew pledges to crack down on lobbying by ex-ministers following the scandal over several senior Labour figures being caught offering their expertise for money in an undercover sting.

A two-year ban on such work after leaving office, docking the official pensions of rule-breakers and preventing Government bodies using public cash to lobby each other were among other proposals.

But the party will fall short of matching Labour's pledge to put the entire lobbying process on a statutory footing - insisting it should be allowed to make self-regulation work first.

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