Keir Starmer’s government is reportedly considering appointing up to 200 new Labour peers to the House of Lords, despite previous promises to abolish the chamber. This decision comes after ongoing reports that Labour is aiming to increase the number of peers in the House of Lords to counter the Conservative majority.
A member of Starmer’s shadow cabinet expressed the need for dozens of new peers due to the aging current cohort and the lack of active participation. The Labour party is seeking to appoint loyal peers who will actively engage in legislative work to push through their agenda in the House of Lords.
Starmer’s spokesperson reiterated his commitment to abolishing the House of Lords during his first term in office, but the recent proposal to appoint new Labour peers contradicts this pledge. The House of Lords currently has 805 members, making it one of the largest parliamentary houses globally, second only to the Chinese National People’s Congress.
The SNP depute leader at Westminster, Pete Wishart, criticized Labour for their perceived hypocrisy on the issue of the House of Lords. Despite longstanding promises to abolish the chamber, Labour is now considering increasing the number of peers, potentially to satisfy their donors, cronies, and political allies.
As the House of Lords Bill progresses through the Commons, there may be amendments proposed to exclude donors, bishops, and prime ministerial appointees from the membership. The debate surrounding the future of the House of Lords continues, with some advocating for its complete abolition while others push for reforms to ensure a more transparent and accountable process for peer appointments.