Good luck reforming a bunch of snouts-in-the-trough peers!

THE EXPOSURE of life peer Lord Sewel (right) for snorting cocaine in the company of two prostitutes rumbles on, much to the embarrassment of those who seek to preserve the House of Lords’ status quo. Inevitably, there are calls for Lords ‘reform’. All peers over 80 years of age — there are 140 — should be pensioned off, is one suggestion (Sewel’s 69, by the way). Another is that the huge, ermine-clad herd — all 760 of them — should be culled. Or serve for 15 years, not life. An unnamed ‘noble’ explains: ‘We cannot act as though the Sewel scandal never happened. We have to show the Lords is being reformed and more relevant.’ Some hope! Adding to the comedy, David Cameron is about to announce his latest list of new life peers. Allegedly, it includes the Ultimo underwear owner Michelle Mone. The PM is reported to be ‘at war with top civil servants over his plans to stuff with the Tory House donors’.of Lords He has put forward a list of almost 40 Conservative supporters to be elevated to the peerage. They’ll include businessmen who’ve donated big sums to the party. Isn’t this ‘cash for coronets’? Certainly not. We are told — by whichever party raises their donors to the peerage — that the cash had nothing to do with the ennoblement. Would there be concern over the new wave of peers if there hadn’t been the scandal over Sewel? Yes, but it wouldn’t have been so intense. Sewel’s undignified behaviour made a mockery of lordly airs and graces. While most of us do not take their flummery seriously, we’d like to think they have some respect for an ancient institution that pays them up to £300 a day just for making an appearance. An obscure Labour Party placeman, Sewel’s arrogant boastfulness, contempt for elected politicians and general attitude of entitlement was more shocking than him slipping on the brassiere discarded by one of his companions. The powers-that-be will tinker with reform, but it won’t make much difference. The Lords owes its continued existence to the greed of politicians who seek to prolong their lives on the public payroll and their need to recompense rich, title-hunting creeps who fund their parties.