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Clive Lewis has called for a referendum on the future of the Monarchy as part of his pitch to be leader of the Labour Party.

He also claimed that one of the reasons why he has so far struggled to get on the ballot paper is because he is a black man.

He told an audience in Brixton that the decision by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to step back from public life could be a "model" for the future of the Royal Family.

He said he respected the couple's decision after the "press intrusion" they have experienced and "the racism that Megan has experienced in the British media".

He said: "One of the things I always talk about is democracy," adding:

“Why not have a referendum in this country on the future of the Royal family ?”

“We’re a democracy I’d rather see us as citizens than subjects.”

The Norwich South MP said the public should be allowed to vote on "what the future of the monarchy is" and claimed there was widespread support for the Royal Family being "scaled down".



Answering questions following a speech in south London, Mr Lewis said: “I think a lot of people would like to see the monarchy scaled down - there’s been a lot of talks… that the monarchy is quite large and there are a lot of people being paid by the public purse.



"But one of the things I always talk about is democracy. I know that liking the odd referendum...so why not have a referendum in this country on the future of the Royal Family?"



He continued: "We’re a democracy, I’d rather see us a citizens than subjects in the 21st Century. Let’s talk about what a modern state looks like and what the role of the Royal Family would look like.



“I’m in favour of more democracy - let the British public decide what the future of the monarchy is and what shape it should be. I don’t consider myself a subject, I think I’m a citizen of this country and I think the vast majority of people consider themselves citizens."

He said the Parliamentary Labour Party is "not immune" to the same forces as the rest of society of racism and sexism but acknowledged it was not the only reason he hadn't got the nominations yet.

"I think it's more complicated than saying it's because I'm black".

The outspoken MP - who has just four of the 22 nominations he needs - has angered some in the party for suggesting Labour should team up with other progressive parties like the Greens.

In a wide-ranging speech he called on Labour to “modernise or die”.

He used a speech in Brixton to set out his vision for the Labour leadership on as he looks to claw on and stay in the contest.

He called for major changes to the way the party is run including curtailing the huge salaries of those at the top.

Corbyn advisers have come under attack for earning more than £100,000 a year when more junior staff were denied a pay rise.

He said that no staff member no matter how senior should be paid more than five times those earning the lowest.

Mr Lewis called for a reorganisation of the party including more collaboration with other parties and social movements.

(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

He said: “Winning has to mean more than winning a majority in the House of Commons and occupying the state.”

According to Mr Lewis the only time Labour has won both office and power was in 1945 with the transformative agenda of the Attlee government which introduced much of the welfare state.

But he acknowledged that society has changed so much that Labour could not win in the same way.

He added: “Labour has been in office and done good things but it has rarely been in power.”

Hitting out at New Labour’s three terms in office he said: “stepping away from our values in order to get into office is not winning power”.

He compared this to Jeremy Corbyn who he said “rightly” refused to abandon his principles.

(Image: DARREN ENGLAND/EPA-EFE/REX)

However he argues that “our society is going through one of its big periodic revolutions” which he attributes to technology.

The Norwich MP said these changes: “can give life to the Labour Party or it will see us die.”

He warned “it can connect us and bring us together as never before” or “it can be used to divide and turn us against one another”.

Labour lost swathes of seats in its northern heartlands but Lewis argued that Brixton, where he made his speech, is also the party’s “heartlands”.

He said: “We as a party must not segregate our communities and pit them against each other.

“That’s what the Tories have been doing for years.

“I think for too long the Labour Party has shied away from celebrating the good in the country we are rather than setting a vision for the country we could be.”

But Mr Lewis is going to struggle to get on the ballot paper with just four MPs currently backing him.

The shadow Treasury spokesman and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry face a race against time to remain in the battle for the top job, with the deadline for nominations from MPs and MEPs looming on Monday.

The latest figures from the Labour Party showed that Mr Lewis and Ms Thornberry are the only two in the six-candidate field who have failed to reach the threshold of 22 nominations.

Mr Lewis has four signatories - 18 shy of the target figure - and Ms Thornberry has nine.

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Lisa Nandy and Jess Phillips all secured the 22 backers required to continue in the competition on Thursday.

As of Friday, Ms Long-Bailey currently has 26 supporters, Wigan MP Ms Nandy has 24 and Ms Phillips has 22.

Early front-runner Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, was the first to cross the line earlier this week.

He stretched his lead over the rest of the pack, with the party confirming that, as of Friday, he has 63 backers in the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).

Struggling Mr Lewis, who is on the left of the party, will use a speech in south London to lay out his plans for the party if he does win the contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn as leader.

Speaking on BBC's Question Time, he said Labour needed to collaborate with "other parties and movements" in order to mount a challenge to the Conservatives in five years' time.

He said the party had "paid a price" for failing to strike a deal with other Remain-supporting parties at the election.

Addressing Labour's future, the Norwich South MP told the panel-show audience: "Ultimately, unless the Labour Party can appeal to the centre ground of British politics then you know, you're right, it can't win.

"But the centre ground of British politics changes and shifts

"So if we're talking about democratising the economy, if we're talking about giving ourselves a sense of ownership and agency in our lives, then these are things which aren't necessarily just socialist, these are things which we all want.

"If we want to have a world our children can inherit where they can breathe clean air, where we have a national healthcare system where you don't have 4.4 million people on the waiting list.

"These are things where the centre ground of British politics is there - that isn't a mad socialist perspective.

"It's the job of the Labour Party to be able to represent that in a way which is co-operative and in a way in which people can buy into."

For the four candidates who are through to the next round, attention has already turned to the second stage of the competition.

Candidates who reach the magic number of 22 - 10% of Labour MPs and MEPs in the PLP, who total 212 - will then need to secure the backing of 5% of constituency Labour branches or at least three affiliate groups, two of which must be made up of trade unions.

Sir Keir has already been backed for leader by Unison, one of the country's largest trade unions.

Unite is expected to back Ms Long-Bailey - labelled the "continuity candidate" by her critics - with the trade union's general secretary Len McCluskey closely aligned with Mr Corbyn.

The others in the so-called "big four" of trade unions - GMB and Usdaw - will be sought after by the remaining candidates, along with other smaller worker representative organisations.

Those who fail to secure enough union backing face a trek across the country in the coming weeks to convince constituency Labour Party (CLP) branches to nominate them.

A total of 33 CLPs would be needed to make it onto the ballot paper, which will be finalised on February 14.

Members will vote on the final list of names and elect a new leader on April 4.