Slash ‘bloated’ House of Lords to 600 say peers
THE size of the House of Lords should be slashed by a quarter, a committee of peers has recommended.
The report says the current total of more than 800 peers is too many and the number needs reducing by 200 – and capped at 600.
The recommendations come after criticism over the bloated size of the Lords and the scale of expenses claimed by some peers despite failing to speak in the chamber.
There has also been controversy over the way Remainers have tried to use their majority in the unelected house to thwart the will of the British people.
Pro-Brussels peers including Lords Mandelson, Heseltine and Kinnock have most recently threatened to scupper the EU Withdrawal bill.
In order to hit the new level in just over a decade, the Lord Speaker’s committee concluded that all parties should be asked to sign up to a “two-out, one-in” system.
It also suggested that peerages could become honorary titles, like knighthoods, to bypass the problem of people receiving it having to automatically sit in the Lords.
New peers would serve a maximum of 15 years under the recommendations.
The size of the 800-strong upper chamber would be capped at 600 and its composition would reflect general election results.
Some 150 peers would leave by 2022, but 75 new appointments would be made by then under the timetable set out by the committee. In the five years to 2016, 125 peers retired or died.
Reforms can happen without legislation, but will need the backing of the Prime Minister Theresa May and co-operation from all parties, the committee said.
Its chairman, Lord Burns, said: “The real danger of the present situation is that the House size will continue to grow.”
Lord Speaker Lord Fowler said: “The House of Lords carries out vitally important work in holding the government of the day to account. However, with over 800 members – about 150 more than the Commons – we are too large. The time has now come to take action to correct this and put a cap on numbers for the future.”
Lord Fowler hoped there would be a debate on the report before Christmas, with more detailed consideration of the specific measures proposed in the New Year.
A Downing Street spokesman said that Lords reform is “not a priority”.