Gordon Brown, Britain’s new prime minister, has announced a “route map” for stripping his office of several executive powers and handing them to Parliament. The declaration was made in Brown’s first speech to the House of Commons after taking office.

The new prime minister has already set his own precedent of handling matters of personnel and policy, excluding the press from certain meetings and altering other traditions to fit his preference. Brown overhauled the prime minister’s cabinet almost completely, leaving only one member in place.

Drastic personnel changes accompanying the arrival of a new executive are certainly not unprecedented. Brown’s ideas on his own office, however, are.

The prime minister requested consultation from the legislature on the matter of surrendering 12 centuries-old powers and announced a number of other proposals including publishing a national security strategy, establishing a new national security council, lowering the voting age to 16 and establishing weekend voting to encourage electoral participation. He also called for discussion on creating an American-style bill of rights.

The prime minister’s reforms are intended to reconcile Britons who feel alienated from their government and democracy.

Powers entrusted to the office of prime minister and the executive authority which Brown intends to limit or surrender to Parliament are:

Brown’s idea to transfer key powers from the executive government to majority votes in the legislature is sure to dilute and weaken Britain’s already-timid foreign and domestic policies. Dangerous times demand stronger, more robust and decisive leadership. If Brown delegates these 12 powers, including the power to declare war, to a group of quarrelling partisans who are more interested in the results of the next election than in making tough decisions in the national interest, expect Britain to lose what remaining strength of will it has.

For more on this subject and the future of the UK and the U.S., read The United States and Britain in Prophecy.