Lords say enough is enough

A report backed by senior peers from all the major parties said there would be “disastrous consequences” unless immediate action was taken to reduce the size of the Lords.

It added that the coalition’s aim of rebalancing the chamber so that it is proportional to vote share in last year’s general election would be “foolish and unsustainable” at present.

The Prime Minister has created 117 new peers since last May, an increase unprecedented in recent times which has taken active membership of the Lords to 792.

Introducing “proportionality” – an objective set out in the Coalition Agreement – would mean taking the chamber to 1,062 members.

The report stated that the present course was “clearly unsustainable”.

As well as the rising cost associated with having more peers, the increase in members over the past year had had “significant effects on the chamber’s functioning”.

These included “overcrowded conditions”, in terms of office space and even in the chamber itself, and a “more fractious atmosphere” as peers have to compete to take part in debates.

A move away from the traditionally “non-partisan ethos” had also been noted, it said.