Major report calls for Lords to shrink from 800 to 600 peers
THE number of people in the House of Lords should be cut from around 800 to 600, a major report recommends.
Political parties will now be asked to commit to a “two-out, one-in” system to bring the numbers down in a process expected to last just over a decade.
The Lord Speaker’s committee proposes that new members would serve for just 15 years and no party would have an absolute political majority. At least a fifth of seats would be reserved for independent “crossbench” members largely selected by the House of Lords Appointment Commission.
The Lords has around 150 more members than the Commons and Lord Speaker Lord Fowler said this was “too large”.
He said: “The time has now come to take action to correct this and put a cap on numbers for the future.”
Lord German, the former Liberal Democrat Deputy First Minister, insisted he still wanted a wholly elected chamber.
He said: “I have not changed my mind that we need an elected House... [We] need an elected, representative second chamber by proportional representation representing the whole of the country and obviously with particular representation for Wales.”
Lord German added: “The challenge is for the government because the Prime Minister has to agree not to make more peers unless they fulfil this one-in, two-out principle.”
The Electoral Reform Society argues that support for a second chamber has surged, up from 48% wanting a partly or fully elected upper house in 2015 to 63%. The polling by BMG Research showed 27% think it should be abolished – up from 22% in 2015 – and only 10% think it should remain as it is.
However, Professor Meg Russell, of University College, London’s constitution unit, welcomed the proposals, saying: “It’s easy to snipe at proposals such as these for being underambitious, but the point is they are realistic. Those wanting more radical change must acknowledge that this hasn’t happened yet, and isn’t likely to happen any time soon.
“Those who are serious about the need to strengthen parliament, and cut the cost of politics, should welcome these proposals.”
Lord Burns, who chaired the committee, said its members had put forward a “radical yet achievable solution to the excessive size of the House of Lords”.
He said: “Our proposals would see the numbers come down to 600 and stay there, while also allowing the membership to be refreshed and to reflect changing public opinion over time.
“This is one of the most complicated issues that my fellow members and I have ever faced. While no set of proposals will ever be perfect, we believe that ours would provide a fair solution which could prove sustainable for as long as this remains an appointed chamber.
“I urge the Prime Minister, the party leaders and all Members of the House of Lords to engage with what we have proposed and seize this realistic opportunity to tackle a problem which has defied resolution for so long.”