The Conservatives are preparing to back a constitutional change that would stop Mr Brown from taking part in votes on Bills relating to English schools, hospitals and a host of other policies.

MPs with Scottish constituencies can no longer vote on legislation for such policies in Scotland as, since 1998, these have been the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament

The former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke revealed yesterday that the proposal would be a centrepiece of a democracy task force set up by Mr Cameron to advise him on new policy ideas for constitutional reforms.

A Conservative party spokesman said that Mr Cameron would await the report of the task force but was highly likely to accept the recommendation.

Mr Clarke told The Observer: “There is no prospect of backing down on some form of English votes for English questions.”

Scottish devolution had left the system “a mess” and voters already recognised that it meant that democracy was not working properly, he said.

“People say that you can’t have a Scottish MP as the United Kingdom Prime Minister when the Government is responsible for all these English matters but not for issues, particularly of health and education, in his home constituency.”

The proposal produced a stinging riposte from Mr Brown, whose allies called it a shallow attempt to “personalise” the Conservatives’ attack on the Chancellor and distract attention from the poor Tory showing in the Bromley and Chislehurst by-election.

A source close to Mr Brown pointed out that John Major was forced to rely on the votes of Ulster Unionist MPs after losing his Commons majority and said that the Conservatives were abandoning their historic role as the unionist party.

“There is now clearly only one party which represents the Union and is prepared to stand up for the union, and that is the Labour Party,” he added.

The Tories are to force a debate on the issue in the Commons this month when a Private Member’s Bill seeking to create English-only votes in Parliament is presented.

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