The government has announced it will be launching a review into the powers of the House of Lords
Just one in 10 think the House of Lords should remain unelected, according to a new poll by the Electoral Reform Society.
The findings come after the government announced it will be launching a review into the powers of the House of Lords, led by Conservative hereditary peer Lord Strathclyde.
The former leader of the House of Lords told the BBC that the Lords had the “power but not the authority” to challenge the Commons over the issue, adding that they had behaved “deplorably” by seeking major changes to tax credits cuts.
According to the poll, by BMG Research almost half (48 per cent) of the public think the Lords should be an elected chamber, while nearly a quarter (22 per cent) back abolition. This compares to one in ten who back the status quo.
Commenting on the poll, deputy chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society Darren Hughes said the public “want real reform of the House of Lords – not just tinkering around the edges”:
“The time for root and branch reform is now – it is simply wrong in a modern democracy for legislators to remain unelected.
“The government are tying themselves in knots over the question of Lords reform, with George Osborne saying he supports an elected upper house, while this review only looks at the issue of conventions. They shouldn’t be making changes to our constitution out of partisan interest, just because they lost a couple of votes – they have to deal with the crux of the matter: the make-up of the constitutional calamity that is the House of Lords.
“Instead of simply emasculating our revising chamber, they should ensure it has the legitimacy it needs to be a real check on executive power. That can only happen through electing it.”
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14 Responses to “Just one in 10 think Lords should remain unelected”
David Lindsay
From what I have been told this morning, I was right about what the Tories had in mind. First Past The Post by counties. In practice, almost everyone in the thing would be a blood relative of one, two or all three of David Cameron, Samantha Cameron and George Osborne. Just like the old days.
The Lords have crossed the aristocratic wing of the Tory Party, which is by far the most ruthless part of the British body politic, and which is now determined to be rid of all those common little shopkeepers, schoolmasters, town clerks, and chaplains.
David Lindsay
UKIP went from two seats to one, that MP is barely in it, as a party it is banned from the official campaign to withdraw from the EU, and its Leader, who has failed seven times to be elected to Parliament, is now a talking head of popular television like someone off TOWIE, with an impending weekly radio phone-in programme.
Mark Myword
Who told you – David Icke?
David Lindsay
If you comment without having any sources, then that is not my problem. We are still a bit old-fashioned up here, even when dealing with that there London.
blarg1987
I admit I am in two minds about the House of Lords, reform is needed, however I have concerns about an elected House along the lines of election terms with mainstream parties or big private donations.
The last thing we want is a house of commons and lords elected at the same time based on the same sentiment on certain policies only to fail in due diligence over other pieces of legislation.
Also, the final concern is that when it comes for re election they may not be tempted to rock the boat on legislation that goes through the house that may be popular with he electorate but may be flawed and require due diligence.