Former Scottish first minister says English referendum needed to ‘clean out the stables’ and provoke a ‘constitutional revolution’

Alex Salmond has called for a “peasants’ revolt-type” referendum in England to abolish the House of Lords.

The former Scottish first minister said such a vote was needed to “clean out the stables” and provoke a “constitutional revolution — let’s get rid of the House of Lords and stick in a people’s senate”.

Despite Scotland voting against independence, the referendum had been an “invigorating moment” for the country, Salmond told the Times. He said he believed that English voters needed a similar opportunity to define their identity, but not in the form of a referendum on EU membership.

Commenting on the proposed in/out referendum on the EU, Salmond said: “If you believe there are four equal nations, partners in this United Kingdom, then it seems reasonable that no one country should be dragged out of the European firmament against its will.”

He added: “A taxi driver said to me that he had voted No to independence but he would do it differently next time. I think we would win if there was another referendum. Luckily in life, as in politics, people sometimes get a second chance.”

There was no doubt British voters were disenchanted, but the Ukip leader Nigel Farage, was not the answer, he said. “There is progressive and regressive nationalism. We [the Scottish National party] are about the future and Ukip is all about the past. People in England are fundamentally decent. They’re not going to en masse waltz up the Ukip side alley. But why isn’t there an articulation of something forward-looking and modern in England?”

Salmond also slated the prime minister, David Cameron, over his boast that that the Queen had “purred” down the phone when he told her the Scots had rejected independence.

“That was just dreadful. Cameron’s a schoolboy. This is a guy showing off because he’s with a billionaire. It’s pathetic. In fact it’s worse than pathetic, it’s demeaning.”

He also criticised Ed Miliband, and said Labour would not be returned to government with Ed Balls as shadow chancellor because of his association with the pervious administrations of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

“People think Miliband is the problem and to an extent he is but … the real problem is the continuing link with the last Labour government,” Salmond said.

The SNP leads Labour by as much as 20 points in Scotland because the party was being punished for supporting a “no” vote in the referendum, he added.

Salmond refused to speculate on how many seats the SNP might win in the May general election, but he added: “It will be a barrel. I’m hoping for a big barrel.”

His comments came as the new Scottish Labour leader, Jim Murphy, admitted the scale of the challenge his party faces to win power from the SNP at Holyrood.

Salmond will stand for the constituency of Gordon in north-east Scotland at the election.