Tories will let the public pick debates in Parliament

David Cameron said if enough people signed an online petition, MPs should discuss and vote on the issue in the Commons to connect Parliament to the "MySpace generation".

The Tory leader also backed moves to give "US-style" independence to Britain's legislature, with new checks on the power of Downing Street and extra powers for Parliamentary committees.

No deals would be able to be struck with the EU until ministers had appeared before the European Affairs Committee to explain their plans, while opportunities for the grilling of the Prime Minister by senior MPs would be doubled.

Former Tory Chancellor Ken Clarke, who has drawn up the package of constitutional reforms, accused Mr Blair of undermining democracy by making decisions agreed with only a tight cabal of aides.

Mr Clarke said the Prime Minister's farewell "world tour" during his final weeks in office was typical of his premiership.

He added: "Seven weeks of touring the world, visiting a friend there, putting together a legacy - nothing epitomises more the personalised way in which he's run government.

"He's taken the powers of a sort of medieval monarch, where he has decided most things on his sofa for the ten years. His judgment has been seriously lacking on some of the most critical things."

Mr Clarke proposes a legal right for the Cabinet to be consulted on major policy decisions and a requirement for Parliamentary approval for Britain to go to war.

The next report of Mr Clarke's democracy task force, to be published within weeks, is expected to propose a cut in the number of MPs and a cap on the number of political "special advisers".

Other moves will include a Civil Service

Act to protect officials from political interference and a stronger code governing ministers' behaviour. In addition, select committee chairmen would be chosen by MPs, rather than the Government.

Mr Cameron said: "Parliament is supposed to be the watchdog of the constitution. It's become more of a poodle under Blair. We need to give it real teeth again."

He predicted the proposals would constitute a "glorious revolution" for democracy, insisting: "This report would mean an end to the remote control by Downing Street. It would mean the Prime Minister being grilled more by MPs. It would mean a system of select committees with the power and independence of the U.S. congressional committees - able to hold the Government directly to account.

"What I intend to do with this report is take some of the key elements and make sure they are put in place at the start of a Conservative government."

Of the e-petitions idea, Mr Cameron accepted there could be "difficulties" about issues some people might want discussed, such as football results.

He said a new legislative business committee would act as a "filter" to frivolous petitions.

But he said it was "depressing" at the moment for MPs to present a petition on behalf of constituents to the Commons, adding: "You drop this petition in a bag behind the Speaker's Chair and to all intents and purposes it disappears."

But Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer said: "The Tories have a long way to go to catch Labour and Gordon Brown when it comes to democratic and constitutional reform.

"This Government has led the way on constitutional reform. We have overseen the biggest reform programme for over a century and Gordon Brown has pledged to take this further, having promised a different type of politics with firm and clear pledges including a constitutional reform Bill, a new ministerial code, and new procedures for dealing with matters of war."