MPs call for House of Lords reform

Wednesday, 13 July 2005 12:00 AM

A group of senior MPs has called for the replacement of the House of Lords with a "predominantly elected" body.

Robin Cook, the former leader of the House of Commons, jointly signed an early day motion with former Conservative environment minister David Curry and Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader.

"We welcome the tabling of this motion and urge all MPs committed to democratic reform of the House of Lords to sign it," Peter Facey said on behalf of the Elect the Lords Campaign.

Labour is committed to making the Lords "representative and democratic" but little has been achieved beyond abolishing hereditary peers in the House of Lords Act 1999.

Mr Facey said plans for Lords reform had been promised for more than a century by successive governments but the current government's commitment to hold a free vote on the issue presented a chance for "meaningful reform".

However, Mr Facey warned MPs should avoid the situation in 2003, when a majority of MPs wanted to reform the Lords but could not agree on a specific reform package.

The most popular package, which called for an 80 per cent elected chamber, fell by just three votes, with 332 MPs voting for at least one of the options for a 60 per cent, 80 per cent and 100 per cent elected chamber.

Today's early day motion suggests a reform bill proposed in January by a cross-party group of MPs could provide "a valuable basis for further discussion and decision".
The proposed Second Chamber of Parliament Bill envisaged 70 per cent of the new chamber being elected. Only a third of the chamber would be elected at one time, and a system of proportional representation would be used.

The Elect the Lords campaign was set was set up and is administered by the New Politics Network and Charter88, and is backed by the Electoral Reform Society, Compass, Liberal Future and Conservatives for Change among others.

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