Lord Norton’s peerage bill receives Second Reading
Abill to reform the appointment process of the House of Lords is closer to becoming law after “virtually everyone was in support” at second reading in the Upper Chamber on 18 November. The House of Lords Peerage Nominations Bill is sponsored by the Conservative peer and constitutional expert Lord Norton. It would strengthen the House of Lords Appointments Commission by obligating the Prime Minister to conform to selected criteria when nominating an individual – such as ensuring a nominee would be willing to contribute to the work of the House of Lords, and that they display high levels of merit.
The bill would guarantee the House of Lords was no bigger than the Commons, no one party had an absolute majority of seats and at least 20 per cent of the Lords were independent.
Lord Norton said: “My key concern is achieving an appointment process that merits the trust of the people; this bill is designed to contribute to achieving that.”
The bill will proceed to Committee Stage in the new year, but may face opposition in the Commons.