BRITAIN:Gordon Brown tried to colonise the centre ground of British politics yesterday by announcing he had recruited two Tory MPs and a Liberal Democrat to lead three government reviews on security, children's disabilities and rural housing.
John Bercow, the liberal-minded Conservative MP for Buckingham, will head a standing commission on services for children with communication disabilities, a subject close to the heart of the Tory leader David Cameron. Patrick Mercer, the former shadow homeland security minister sacked by Mr Cameron for allegedly racist remarks, has agreed to advise the government on security, meeting Home Office officials yesterday.
Mr Mercer had been denounced by Labour MPs only four months ago as out of touch with reality after his description of racist views in the army, but Mr Brown's spokesman said the prime minister was concerned only with his acknowledged expertise on security issues. The Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor will advise on rural housing.
Philippa Russell, the former chairwoman of the disability rights commission, will lead a review on the future of carers.
Mr Brown made the announcement in a speech marking the start of the political season and designed to underline his commitment to embracing all talents to meet the long-term challenges facing the country. He said: "The depths of our new concerns cannot be met by the shallowness of an old-style politics."
Mr Brown's emphasis on long-term strategic issues suggested that he is not going to plump for an autumn election, even though he will meet advisers this week to discuss the latest polling, including signs that Mr Cameron has won back some support lost during the initial Brown bounce. No announcement is expected this week.
Conservative chairwoman Caroline Spelman said it had been a discourtesy that no prior call by Mr Brown had been made to Mr Cameron to discuss his plan, especially if the prime minister was genuinely interested in a new kind of consensual politics.
Mr Brown also announced an all-party Speaker's conference on political disengagement - the first such conference to be held for more than 30 years. He wants it to discuss issues such as voting at 16, individual electoral registration, weekend voting and the representation of women and ethnic minorities in politics.
The shadow justice secretary, Nick Herbert, said his party was willing to be involved. He added: "Mr Brown cannot credibly promise a new type of politics while simultaneously breaching a manifesto promise to hold a referendum on the EU constitution."
He said the Speaker's conference would need to discuss not just Mr Brown's chosen topics, but also issues such as votes for English MPs and freeing local councils from Whitehall.
Mr Brown said: "Instead of dividing along party lines I propose the Speaker's conference to unite the parties in search of solutions to the disengagement of the people from the electoral process.
"I believe this is the wrong time in history for politics as usual; the wrong time for empty, partisan posturing which focuses on what divides us, faced with common challenges; the wrong time for continuing to treat citizens simply as members for contending groups as if there was no scope for common ground."
Mr Brown also announced an expanded programme of citizens' juries, which will see selected parents, schoolchildren and teachers look at the impact of internet and computer violence on children.
Other citizens' juries will use the same deliberative process to discuss the NHS and a planned statement on British values.