A FORMER Labour Government Minister has called for his party to have a proper debate about devolution before Labour council leaders strike a "closed-door" deal with the Government.

Gerry Sutcliffe, the former MP for Bradford South, warned that West Yorkshire's Labour council leaders were poised on a deal which would see powers devolved to the Leeds city region - saying while this may be the best outcome for them, it was not the best for Yorkshire.

He instead called for a devolution settlement covering the whole of Yorkshire, along with its own Scotland-style First Minister, saying this would give the region "a much louder voice".

He confirmed he would be interested in running for either elected mayor or First Minister of Yorkshire, but added: "I'm not doing this because I want it. I think it's right for the region."

Mr Sutcliffe's support for a devolution settlement for the whole of Yorkshire puts him in direct opposition with his Labour colleague, Bradford Council leader David Green, who instead backs a deal centred around either West Yorkshire or the so-called Leeds City Region.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority, dominated by West Yorkshire's five Labour council leaders, is heading up the discussions with the Government over how major new powers can be handed over from Whitehall to the region.

But Mr Sutcliffe warned that his party should have a wider debate about its position on devolution before the Combined Authority struck any "closed-door deals" with the Government.

He said: "What I am worried about, and I think what we have all got to be wary of, is that the leaders at the moment seem to be doing the deals to suit themselves. I think that's not the way forward.

"The public have got to be with us and each of the parties has got to be with us."

Mr Sutcliffe said there was currently no forum within the Labour Party for this big debate, and he was now asking its regional director Paul Nicholson to convene a meeting to "get that process going".

Cllr Green responded by saying devolution was "being debated in all political parties", including Labour.

He disputed any claim he and other council leaders were trying to gain more powers for themselves through the devolution negotiations, saying the deal could see individual council leaders wielding less power, rather than more.

He said: "In actual fact, the reality of the situation is the exact opposite from Mr Sutcliffe's claim."

Cllr Green said Mr Sutcliffe was "personally entitled to his view".

But he said the last Labour government had looked at the idea of devolution for the whole of Yorkshire and in the end hadn't pursued it.

He said: "I think that was the time when we needed Yorkshire MPs to be putting the case forward and fighting for it."