The Liberal Democrats will attempt to hijack the government’s bill to ban Lords from inheriting their seats in parliament this week in an attempt to force a vote on an entirely elected upper chamber.
The government’s hereditary peers bill, which is heading for its committee stage on Tuesday and is likely to clear the House of Commons the same day, will put an end to the tradition and ban the the current 92 lords who inherited their titles from sitting in the second chamber.
MPs are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the legislation but the Lib Dems want to amend the bill in favour of bringing in a totally elected second chamber.
It would remove the power of patronage that the prime minister has to recommend new peers, call on the secretary of state to consult on an elected second chamber and commit to bringing forward a draft bill.
The practice of appointing peers has led to associates, advisers and friends of prime ministers being sent to the House of Lords, in addition to crossbench peers chosen on merit by the House of Lords appointments commission.
Labour said in 2022 it wanted to replaced the House of Lords with an elected second chamber, but by the time of its manifesto this year, its plan was first to abolish hereditary peers and bring in an age limit.
The Lib Dems said they wanted to push their amendment to a vote in the Commons on Tuesday, subject to the Speaker deeming it in scope of the bill.
Sarah Olney, the Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson, said: “It is way past time for a proper democratic reform of the House of Lords. Politicians must do all we can to restore public trust in politics after the chaos of the last Conservative government, which had no interest in reforming the Lords and instead left it as the largest second chamber anywhere in the world.
“Liberal Democrats have been at the forefront of making this case for decades and we’ll continue to press the government on this.
“The government should accept our amendment which will finally get the ball rolling on delivering a proper democratic mandate for the House of Lords.”
When the hereditary peers bill was brought forward, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the paymaster general, said: “It is indefensible that, in the 21st century, there are seats in our legislature allocated by an accident of birth. This is a long-overdue reform and a progressive first step on the road of change.
“To maintain trust in our democratic institutions it is important our second chamber reflects modern Britain.”
