Scottish leader says 'crumbling' Britain needs urgent reform

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday that Britain's most powerful institutions were crumbling and needed urgent reform, saying her nationalist party could help overhaul them if given influence in a future British minority government.

Since Scots voted by 55-45% to preserve the United Kingdom in a September 18 referendum last year, support for Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) has surged on a perception that Britain's rulers are backsliding on pledges to grant Scotland more powers.

"The Palace of Westminster is in such a dilapidated condition," Sturgeon told students at the London School of Economics. "Its fabric is crumbling, some areas are prone to flooding and other parts haven't been properly refurbished for generations." "It's not just the building that needs to be overhauled. It's the institutions," she said.

Sturgeon's once fringe party could find itself a possible 'kingmaker' after a May 7 national election in Britain with the fate of the world's sixth largest economy in its hands. "If we get the opportunity, we will also seek to play our part in bringing about positive, long-lasting and progressive change right across the United Kingdom," said Sturgeon.

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