THEY MUST PAY FOR THIS SHAMEFUL ARROGANCE

Over recent years, the House of Lords has tragically become an increasingly corrupt and worthless institution. Its more than 800 members – too many of whom are a squalid mixture of crooks, spongers and the worst kind of grubby political appointees – signed their own death warrant last night.

Peers may have enjoyed a sudden moment of excitement by damaging George Osborne, a Tory minister they did not like. But they could pay a heavy price.

In revenge, Mr Osborne will want to put them out of business – and a good thing, too.

Although I am also a strong critic of the Chancellor’s flawed plan to cut tax credits for the working poor, I believe from the bottom of my heart in parliamentary democracy.

Mr Osborne’s measure had been passed three times in the House of Commons by MPs who are answerable to their constituents. The unelected Lords had no right to overturn a democratic decision.

In what will go down as a sordid and shameful moment in the history of Parliament, the democratic will of the British people (expressed in a general election just six months ago) was openly defied by a cabal of political appointees.

It is very hard indeed to exaggerate how contemptible the modern House of Lords has become.

Until very recently, it was a mark of honour to be a peer of the realm. A coat of arms and crimson robes meant that someone had achieved something genuinely distinguished with their life.

The Lords was filled with brave men and women who had served their country in combat, judges with huge experience and impressive intellectual credentials, business magnates who had created wealth and employment, former politicians of distinction.

Some of this type are still around, but not enough.

Today, too many lords are sleazy, abusing the huge privilege of their status to further their business interests.

Many more turn up to Westminster just to get their attendance allowance, and contribute little or nothing of substance to proceedings.

Some of them have ‘ bought’ their peerages through political donations. Under Tony Blair, the going rate for a peerage was rumoured to be around £500,000. As Blair’s policy chief Geoff Mulgan said in a moment of candour: ‘ The scarcely concealed sale of peerages to wealthy party donors, and the appointment of the party’s top donor – Lord Sainsbury – to minis- terial office did little to restore the British public’s confidence.’

David Cameron had the chance to clear up the Lords’ cesspit but has culpably failed to do so. Under Cameron, the abuses continued. Party donors continued to be rewarded with peerages.

In a signal error, he bought the political support of the Lib Dems by allowing them to fill the Lords with their profoundly mediocre appointees.

In many cases, these nonentities have spent their lives grubbing around the rat-holes of politics and then were rewarded with a peerage.

THERE are now more than 100 Lib Dems – outnumbering their Commons colleagues by 14 to one. And, last night they took a collective revenge on the Tory Party for the Lib Dem wipe-out at the general election.

Their motives were not edifying: revenge, self-importance, malice, envy.

David Cameron is, indeed, paying a heavy price for failure to clean up the Lords while he could.

And the Conservative Government should be under no illusions.

The Lords placemen have tasted blood. They will strike again to block a democratically-elected Government. This leaves David Cameron with no other option than to curb the Lords.

To realise how grubby the Upper House had become, just reflect that sleazy Lord Sewel, forced to stand down after being caught taking cocaine with prostitutes, had been the peer in charge of maintaining standards!

In the long run, last night’s disgrace may do some good, because it will force through a cleansing that has long been badly needed.

Meanwhile, the Government faces a crisis, which will absorb valuable energy and time.

For his part, Mr Osborne has miscalculated badly and last night he faced a horrible choice: either press on with his tax credit cuts in the face of parliamentary guerilla war or cave in and risk being labelled weak.

The Tory darling in the wake of the May election victory, has made an unforced error.

Now he is in a mess. But it should be born in mind that, while Osborne’s implementation of his tax credit reforms has been poor, his basis policy of confronting the abuse of tax credits is admirable.

Mr Osborne is an accomplished enough politician to deal with the problem in the end. And when he has done so, the House of Lords will surely pay the price for its arrogant attack on British democracy.