Lords ‘just a Westminster private members’ club’

THE House of Lords has been attacked as a “Westminster private members’ club” after research showed almost four in 10 peers have worked in politics and a quarter live in Greater London.

The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) said that of the 564 peers whose place of residence is known, some 306 – more than 50 per cent – live in the capital, the south east or the east of England.

Meanwhile, there are 235 former politicians, 68 political staffers and 13 ex-civil servants in the upper chamber.

The ERS said the statistics revealed the extent of the “appalling centralisation” of the House of Lords.

Parliament will today discuss a petition calling for the upper chamber to be scrapped. Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the ERS, said: “The Lords is looking increasingly like just another Westminster private members’ club – and it’s not hard to see why when the system is so unbalanced.”

Mr Hughes said the introducing a “fairly elected chamber of the regions” would “ensure guaranteed, proportional representation and a strong voice for all parts of the UK”.

A House of Lords spokesman said: “Members are appointed by virtue of their experience and represent nearly every profession.

“No other senate in the world has such diverse members, or as broad a range of expertise.

“All members use their wealth of experience to debate crucial issues, and hold the Government to account.”