Keir Starmer wants to pack the House of Lords with 200 more peers despite vowing to scrap the unelected Chamber
Date: 2024-10-21
FILE – Members of the House of Commons and Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, in the House of Lords, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP, File)[/caption]
SIR Keir Starmer wants to pack the House of Lords with 200 more Labour peers – despite previously pledging to abolish the Chamber, party insiders have said.
Lords during the State Opening of Parliament[/caption]
During his leadership campaign in 2022, Sir Keir vowed to get rid of the Lords to “restore trust in politicsâ€.
But now he is plotting to massively beef up his ranks so he gets a majority and can ram his legislation through both Houses of Parliament.
He is already pushing through plans to get rid of hereditary peers – who are overwhelmingly Tory.
A Labour insider said: “Downing Street wants lots more peers who actually turn up, do the work and will get legislation through.
“They are looking for 200 peers.â€
The Lords already has a staggering 805 members – making it the biggest parliamentary Chamber in the world apart from Communist China.