Plans for House of Lords transformation plans have been leaked, revealing the most extensive reform of the chamber ever prepared by a government.
According to the Guardian, the plans include elections for the Upper Chamber taking place at the same time as general elections and suggested that just two thirds of its members should be elected for the next decade.
The leaked paper also suggests the number of Bishops sitting in the House of Lords should be halved from 24 to 12 and each party would decide on how to reduce the number of their unelected peers.
Drawn up by the government, the paper reveals the most extensive proposals yet seen from a government on how to reform the Lords and would be a basis for significant discussions between parties in the event of a hung Parliament.
The paper is seen as representative of how serious Labour is on constitutional changes, despite the continued delays on Lords reform.
It says a reformed second chamber would be 300 strong, with the Commons retaining primacy.
Members of the Upper House would be elected by an open list, proportional system designed to ensure "no single party should dominate the second chamber and members should be able to bring independence of judgment to their work".
Each elected member would be able to serve for three electoral cycles.
From May 2012 members would be elected from 12 electoral regions, nine in England and one each in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Each party would be given the right to decide who would be allowed to stay in the Lords during the transition towards an elected second chamber.
Out on the campaign trail, Gordon Brown said the House of Lords requires "root and branch" reform and that he wants to create an elected second chamber "in stages" with the unelected peers gradually being replaced by elected members.
He told an audience of Labour activists and journalists that this represented the "most comprehensive programme of constitutional reform in this country for a century" and would "strengthen power of Parliament".
The Conservatives would "work to build a consensus" for a mainly-elected House of Lords, although oppose the reform of the Westminster voting system.
And the Liberal Democrats have proposed to replace the House of Lords with a smaller, elected second chamber.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has dismissed Labour's promises to overhaul the voting system, likening them to a "consumer guarantee from Del Boy".
Opinion polls published in two of Tuesday's newspapers suggest the Lib Dems continue to enjoy more support than Labour, but less than the Conservatives.
YouGov/ The Sun: Con 33 per cent (+1), Lib Dem 31 per cent (-2), Lab 27 per cent (+1)
ICM/ The Guardian: Con 33 per cent (-4), Lab 28 per cent (-3), Lib Dems 30 per cent (+10)
