THE Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade, has hit out against Government plans to reform the House of Lords.

He said the proposals were inappropriate because ‘the country had greater challenges to face’.

Bishop Nicholas told peers: “This House retains the potential to remain a trustworthy and efficient servant to the people of this country.

“Let us not put that at risk by getting bogged down in a far-reaching and contentious Bill that will distract us all from the real and pressing needs of our country.”

The Bishop has announced that he will retire later this year.

He has previously spoken about the importance of Government focusing on supporting the most poor and vulnerable in society.

Conservative former cabinet minister Lord Jenkin of Roding also warned the Government against the Deputy Prime Minister’s draft Bill, which recommended the House should be 80 per cent elected and has been examined by a joint committee of peers and MPs.

Lord Jenkin said: “If a Bill anything like the draft Bill that was considered by the joint committee were to go forward, it would be hugely divisive, it would take an enormous amount of time and create enormous acrimony and I cannot see that we could afford that sort of thing.

“I think we should start on the things that most of us can agree with and get ahead with that and I cannot see why that should not be a perfectly adequate step for the Government now to take.”