Labour is to launch plans for a "granny state", with new benefits aimed at people caring for older relatives, at its Spring Conference in Birmingham.

Harriet Harman, the party's Deputy Leader and Minister for Women, told The Birmingham Post the Government would reform the benefits system to allow carers to work and claim financial help at the same time.

"I will tell the conference that we weren't afraid of being called the nanny state, and we won't be afraid of being called the granny state," she said.

She highlighted the success of Child Tax Credits to support working mothers, and signalled that similar proposals were to be announced for carers.

Currently, carers are eligible for an allowance of up to £48 a week but only if they earn no more than £95 a week.

Anyone who earns more automatically becomes ineligible, leaving many carers with a stark choice between quitting their jobs or losing the benefit.

Child tax credits, by contrast, are paid to anyone with children earning up to £66,000 a year.

Ms Harman, who is also Labour Party Chair, said: "We don't people to have to choose between their job and caring for a relative." She was speaking in advance of Labour's Spring Conference, which begins today at the International Convention Centre.

Ms Harman also highlighted the importance of getting more black and Asian MPs in the Commons and revealed that the Government was still considering changing the law to allow all-ethnic minority short-lists.

These would allow political parties to order local activists to choose a candidate from an ethnic minority in winnable constituencies. They are currently illegal.

Suggestions that Labour could introduce all-ethnic minority short-lists have been met with opposition from some MPs, including Khalid Mahmood (Lab Perry Barr), the only black or Asian MP in the West Midlands.

But Ms Harman is expected to focus on the need to support carers when she speaks to the party conference on Sunday.

She said: "We have done a lot of work on supporting families with children. The stay-at-home mum has become the mum going out to work, and we have supported them through nurseries, after-school clubs, child tax credits, Sure Start, flexible working and extended maternity leave.

"But the next big social revolution is that the stay-at-home daughter, who used to look after older relatives, is now the working daughter. The big issue facing families is not only caring for children and earning a living, but also supporting older relatives and earning a living."

She added: "We recognise the carer's allowance is not working in the way it really should be to help people. We don't want people to have to choose, to feel they have to throw in their job to care full time and claim carer's allowance."

Details of the new system would be unveiled by the Prime Minister in May, she said.

Ms Harman also said she wanted to see more people from ethnic minorities in politics, as councillors and as MPs.

"We think our democracy has got to be representative. If you say people are here on equal terms and we play by the same rules, there has to be proper inclusion in democratic politics. That's why we are very proud of the fact Labour has a match between our local councillors and the country as a whole in terms of ethnicity.

"We now have as many black and Asian councillors as are proportionate in the population. But, we are also saying to ourselves that we want to go further, and we particularly want to push forward on participation of Asian women in local government."

The Commons must have more black and Asian MPs to make it representative of the nation as a whole, even if that required legislation, she said.

"It is very important that people in the country outside the Commons see that the Commons is properly representative. We are committed to making progress. It won't necessarily be by legislation but we are looking into all the options, because what we can't do is just stay where we are with under-representation."

But she refused to be drawn on whether she would like to see a candidate from an ethnic minority chosen for Ladywood, Birmingham, a safe Labour seat.

Party activists in the constituency are in the process of choosing a candidate for the next election, when sitting MP Clare Short will stand down.

"As the deputy leader it's not for me to say who should be chosen for any particular constituency."

Ms Harman also revealed that the House of Commons Modernisation Committee, which she chairs, was set to unveil proposals for regional Commons committees.

A West Midlands committee would have the power to hold the regional Minister, Birmingham MP, Liam Byrne (Lab Hodge Hill), to account.

She said: "We will have regional accountability and it will be quite soon.

"The Government's position is that we want to see regional committees, because we think that very important decisions on regional health services, on the regional economy, on regional transport, on learning and skills, on the sports programmes for the region - these are things that hugely affect people that live in the region."