Gordon Brown has begun his first full day as Labour leader, ahead of his appointment as prime minister on Wednesday.
The chancellor is putting the finishing touches to his first cabinet following a speech to party members in Manchester on Sunday, when he was confirmed as Tony Blair's successor.
The BBC reported that he has already recommended to the party's National Executive Committee that union-backed motions be replaced by debates on general issues at annual conference.
The move is intended to reduce the influence of the unions and give individual members more say in policy.
Meanwhile, new Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman has said her role as party chairman "makes good sense".
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said the new leadership team would "represent Labour in all parts of the country".
But before he formally moves into Number 10, Brown's in-box is already filling up with policy demands.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable warned that households are now paying more of their income servicing their debts than at any point in the last decade.
"As chancellor, Gordon Brown neglected to tackle this ticking time bomb and we are already seeing rising numbers of repossessions and personal bankruptcies," he said.
"As prime minister, he must take urgent action to tackle spiralling levels of personal debt before more families find themselves on the street."
And the Fawcett Society called on Brown to be the first prime minister to ensure that women and men are equally rewarded for their work.
Director Dr Katherine Rake said: "Women tennis players are finally enjoying equal pay at Wimbledon - it's time for Gordon Brown giving all women a sporting chance and finally end the pay gap. The ball's in his court."
In his speech on Sunday, Brown promised national crusades on housing and education, and said his government would harness "the driving power of social conscience".
Describing Britain as a country of "rising aspiration", the incoming prime minister said services could no longer be provided as a basic safety net but had to cater to individual needs.
There is a "yearning for stronger communities in Britain", he said.
"We are learning an inescapable truth. It is only by engaging people in the decisions that matter to their lives, only by a new government building trust by involving the British people, that we as a country will meet the new challenges of 2007 and beyond.
"So as people's aspirations and priorities change, we the Labour Party must renew ourselves as the party of change."
He began his speech paying tribute to Tony Blair. "When all the history books are written your achievements are unprecedented, they are historic, and I know they are enduring," he said.
And introducing Brown onto the stage, Blair had told the conference that Brown was "a man with every quality to mark him out as a great prime minister of our country".
"I know from his character that he will give of his best in the service of our country. And I know from his record as chancellor that his best is as good as it gets," he said.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd