THE Labour party have confirmed plans that they would abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a “new, reformed upper chamber”.
The BBC reports that the party confirmed this following a report in The Observer which said the move would be part of a plan to “restore trust in politics” and would see Labour holding a consultation on the composition and size of a new chamber as well as more immediate reform of the current and often-criticised appointments process.
Keir Starmer told his party’s peers at a meeting last week that he wants to transfer power from politicans to people by allowing them to vote on who to appoint to the upper chamber, the paper reported.
Labour is expected to confirm the plans in its next manifesto.
READ MORE: Tory MP slammed for video showing him defending Truss's mini-Budget
There are currently 784 peers in the Lords compared to 650 MPs in the House of Commons.
Recently, former prime minister Boris Johnson faced accusations that he has proposed several Conservative MPs for peerages, including Scotland Secretary Alister Jack, but told them to delay accepting to prevent triggering a by-election.
It was a move described as the “manipulation of democracy in its worst form”.
This is not the first time Starmer has mentioned reforming the House of Lords as he made a similar pledge during his initial leadership campaign.
Recently, The National revealed that Ruth Davidson claimed over £15,000 in allowances and expenses in her first year as a member of the House of Lords.
The former Scottish Tory leader was ennobled by Boris Johnson and then introduced to Westminster’s second chamber in July 2021.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel