MPs must be put back in charge of the House of Commons to restore the public's faith in Parliament in the aftermath of the expenses scandal, a major cross-party committee has urged.
Warning that Parliament was "in crisis", it urged MPs to wrest back independence from the Government so that the Commons could be more responsive to voters' concerns.
The 18-strong House of Commons Reform Committee, chaired by Labour MP Tony Wright, was set up as the expenses scandal shook Parliament earlier this year.
It called for the Commons to approve - within two months - proposals that would significantly curb ministerial influence and patronage in the House.
Measures included setting up a new, secretly-elected backbench business committee to reassert the role of MPs in setting the Commons agenda and holding legislation to account.
One day a week of Commons time would be dictated by backbenchers and the weekly schedule set by a committee of government, opposition and backbench representatives.
The committee said public petitions of Parliament should be treated more seriously, sometimes even prompting debates in the chamber.
It also called for Commons select committees to be streamlined and given more independence from the government so that they were able to scrutinise Whitehall departments more thoroughly.
Their chairmen ought to be elected by the whole House, rather than effectively agreed between the party whips as at present, it said.
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It said: "We believe that the House of Commons has to become a more vital institution, less sterile in how it operates, better able to reflect public concerns, more transparent, and more vigorous in its task of scrutiny and accountability."
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