Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Scrap Lords call after they claim 30% more exes
REVELATIONS that peers’ expenses and allowances climbed by nearly a third in a year have sparked new calls for an overhaul of the House of Lords. The bill rose 29% to £23million, with members allowed to pocket £323 a day just for turning up.
And their numbers will swell again within weeks when the dissolution honours list is revealed.
Critics say the Upper House is stuffed with party donors, cronies of party leaders and ex-mps kicked out by voters – and should be scrapped.
The Electoral Reform Society’s Willie Sullivan said: “The House of Lords is a rolling expenses scandal and we’ll see this year after year unless there is reform and real accountability. Voters must be able to kick out those who are abusing the system. This is an insult to the public who want real democracy and an overhaul of this feudal relic. We must move to a fairly-elected revising chamber that we can be proud of.”
More than £1million was claimed by more than 110 peers who made no spoken or written contribution.
They included Lord Bhatia and Baroness Adams, who took £44,530 and £52,252 respectively.
Lord Paul claimed £47,885 but spoke only once. Lord Cunningham, who made 17 speeches, got £79,437.
The average tax-free payment was £30,827, higher than the median UK salary. Scottish National Party MP Tommy Sheppard said: “Allowing the Westminster parties to reward selfish donors, cronies and politicians rejected by the voters completely erodes trust in politics. The sooner this undemocratic, out-of-touch institution is abolished, the better.”
Some peers even called for the size of the house to be slashed. Former Lord Speaker Baroness D’souza said: “This job could be done by about half of the current number of peers – 550 to 600 at the most could not only do it, but man all the committees.”
Crossbench peer Lord Carlile added: “A smaller Lords is a better debating chamber. You can develop arguments better.”
A Lords spokesman said: “The increase in the costs of House of Lords allowances is largely due to a 25% increase in the number of days that the House sat, rising from 129 in 2017/18 to 161 in 2018/19.”