2008-06-16 13:11:31 - The British monarchy should be abolished, a United Nations report has said.

The British monarchy should be abolished, a United Nations report has said. The UN Human Rights Council says the UK must "consider holding a referendum on the desirability or otherwise of a written constitution, preferably republican".

However the demands by the council, which includes regimes like Saudi Arabia and Cuba among its 29 members, have been met with outrage. A royal source said: "People here certainly haven't detected any appetite for a referendum. Queen Elizabeth is a focus for national unity, identity and pride." Royal commentator Robert Lacey said the UN report failed to show an understanding of the British system. He said: "Parliament could change the law and abolish the monarchy tomorrow. We don't need a referendum to do that." Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, also said there is no need to get rid of the monarchy, which costs each British adult around 62p a year. He said: "With so many human rights abuses around the world, the UN should be busy reporting on issues of starvation, execution and the denial of the vote to huge numbers of people around the world. "Saudi Arabia and Cuba should pay a little more attention to their own human rights record."