"In opposition, Sir Keir Starmer called the unelected House of Lords indefensible. This week, barely 18 months into his prime ministership, Sir Keir took the total of unelected peers he has appointed since July 2024 to 96. Remarkably, Wednesday's 34 new life peerages, mainly Labour supporters, take his appointment total above those of each of his four most recent Conservative predecessors. You must go back to David Cameron to find a prime minister who did more to stuff the Lords than Sir Keir."
"The party manifesto promised to remove the remaining hereditary peers, to reform the appointments process, to impose a peers' retirement age, and to consult on proposals for replacing the Lords with an alternative second chamber. The House of Lords, the manifesto flatly declared, was too big. In office, Labour's record on Lords reform has been dismal. True, the bill removing the hereditaries is finally close to completing its parliamentary passage."
Sir Keir Starmer campaigned against the unelected House of Lords but has appointed 96 unelected peers since July 2024, including 34 life peerages this week. Those appointments surpass the totals of the four most recent Conservative predecessors, leaving only David Cameron having appointed more. Labour's manifesto pledged removal of hereditary peers, reform of appointments, a peers' retirement age, and consultation on a replacement chamber, and declared the Lords too big. Only the bill to remove hereditaries is near completion; other manifesto pledges are not included and show little progress. Labour prioritizes increasing peer numbers for party advantage amid a Lords composition of 282 Conservatives and 209 Labour peers, and more than 100 government division defeats since 2024.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]