New Delhi: Former Singapore diplomat Professor Kishore Mahbubani has called for urgent reforms to the United Nations Security Council, advocating for India's rightful inclusion as a permanent member of the prestigious body, media reports said.

In an interview with NDTV, Mahbubani opined that the United Kingdom should relinquish its permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC) in favour of India while speaking on the necessary changes in the UN.

"There is absolutely no question that India is the third-most powerful country in the world today after the United States and China. And that Great Britain is no longer 'great'," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Mahbubani stated that the UK has not used its veto power, available only to the permanent members, for decades, fearing criticism over its stance.

"So, the logical thing for the UK to do is give up its seat to India," he said.

He emphasised that the founders of the UN ensured that all major powers of the world at that time had vested interests in the organization to ensure its functionality.

"The lesson that (UN's founders) learned from the collapse of the League of Nations early in the 20th century is that if a great power leaves, the organisation collapses," the former diplomat said.

"But they also believed that you must have the great powers of today, not the great powers of yesterday. Unfortunately, they didn't create a mechanism for changing the seats," he said.

"Another reason for the UK to give up its seat is that it will free them up to act independently," he said.