Backtracking Keir Starmer shies away from abolishing House of Lords until ... trends now

A Labour shadow minister today insisted the party would abolish the House of Lords in the first five years of taking power - despite Sir Keir Starmer shying away from that commitment.

The Labour leader is tomorrow due to unveil proposals for economic and political reforms alongside former prime minister Gordon Brown.

The ex-premier has been working on a constitutional review for Sir Keir, which is expected to recommend giving more decision-making powers to towns, cities, English regions and devolved nations.

But Sir Keir and Mr Brown have reportedly clashed over a promise to replace the Lords with an elected chamber, with claims the pledge could be watered-down at the last moment.

Last month, Sir Keir was said to have told his party's peers he wants to overhaul the Lords within the first term of a Labour government. 

Yet, the Labour leader has now suggested he might not be able to oversee Lords reform until he wins a second general election.

Sir Keir also made no mention of Labour's plans for Parliament's upper chamber in a newspaper article he wrote this weekend, ahead of the publication of Mr Brown's review.

Despite suggestions Sir Keir was backtracking on his promise of reforming the Lords in the first term of a Labour government, one of his top frontbenchers today insisted the party remained 'absolutely' committed to an elected second chamber.

Asked on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme if Lords reform would take

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