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.
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.
