GORDON BROWN is to break with centuries of tradition by surrendering historic powers delegated to previous prime ministers by the Queen.

The new prime minister will this week publish plans to give up some of the royal “prerogative powers” enjoyed by his predecessors including important public appointments, the right to recall parliament during holidays and sending troops to war.

It marks a significant break from the era of Tony Blair who, like previous prime ministers, had rejected calls to relinquish the powers.

Brown is hoping that the significance and ambitious nature of the constitutional reforms will be compared to his decision in 1997 to hand over power to set interest rates to the Bank of England.

The Queen is said to be content with the plans, which were outlined to her by Brown at his 55-minute audience at Bucking-ham Palace on Wednesday. Insiders say she was pleased that Brown had consulted her on his proposals, in marked contrast to her irritation at Blair for seeking to abolish the ancient title of lord chancellor in his 2004 “botched” reshuffle.

Brown’s consultation document will propose:

- Removing the power of the prime minister to appoint bishops and deans, with the responsibility transferred to the Church of England;

- Military action should be be taken only after explicit approval by parliament;

- American-style “confirmation hearings” by MPs for key public posts;

- MPs being given the right to ratify international treaties and scrutinise the way honours are awarded;

- MPs being given the power to recall parliament during the recess if there is a national emergency;

- Drawing up a bill of rights.

Prerogative powers have been handed down direct from monarchs to ministers over many years, allowing governments to go to war, deploy the armed forces on operations overseas, regulate the civil service, and grant honours without need for approval from parliament.

The range and scope of the ancient powers was shrouded in secrecy until 2002, when they were listed by the government for the first time after pressure from MPs.

Some of the powers, such as the right to force men to join the navy, have fallen out of use, but others are regularly exercised, particularly in the field of foreign affairs. Brown has been working on the plans for months, drafting in the Cabinet Office and Jack Straw, the new justice secretary, to help them push it forwards. In a pamphlet in 1994, Straw argued that the royal prerogative has “no place in a western democracy” claiming it had been used as “a smokescreen” by ministers to escape scrutiny for their decisions.

Brown’s aides took the unusual step of telephoning the palace to inform them of every cabinet appointment before they were made public.

No 10 and Straw have remained tight-lipped about the constitutional proposals, contained in a lengthy document unveiled to the cabinet on Friday.

In an interview with The Sunday Times today, Ed Balls, one of Brown’s key cabinet allies, also refused to comment on the plans, but indicated that the palace had given a seal of the approval.

“There has been consultation with everyone who needs to be consulted in advance,” said the new secretary for children, schools and families. “The civil service has done a brilliant job because the consultative process has been very good.”

Brown has placed great emphasis on making ministers more accountable, restoring power to the civil service, not resorting to “spin” and handing back power to MPs. At Friday’s meeting, every minister was asked to contribute to the discussion about the constitutional reforms. Brown was said to be “humble” and long-standing members were surprised at his “tour de table” – a rare event during the Blair years.

Sir Alistair Graham, the former sleaze watchdog, urged Brown also to take up his suggestion for an independent panel to investigate allegations of ministerial misconduct. He said it would be a “serious error of judgment” if Brown rejected the idea.

- Tony Blair and his family suffered the indignity of having to sleep on the floor and eat an Indian takeaway out of foil cartons on their last night in Downing Street, insiders have revealed.

Removal men had packed up their furniture and crockery and left the family with just a mattress for Blair and his wife to sleep on, while their four children were reduced to having to make do with sleeping bags on the carpet of the flat over No11 that has been their home since 1997. The family are said to have made light of it all.

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