COLUMN: At last, our chance to reform Lords

2:19pm Thursday 26th April 2012 in Jack Straw column Photograph of the Author By Jack Straw, MP for Blackburn

THERE was one centenary which we all missed last year.

The “Parliament Act 1911”.

It sounds boring.

It wasn’t then.

The unelected House of Lords was blocking big changes to the tax system, against the will of the Commons.

It took two General Elections in 1910 before the Lords blinked.

The 1911 Act was passed, to stop this happening again.

The beginning of that Act spelt out that it was also Parliament’s intention to substitute an elected Second Chamber to replace the hereditary one, but this “cannot immediately be brought into operation”.

One hundred years later, Parliament has its chance.

An all-party, Commons and Lords “Joint Committee” has just reported on plans to replace the Lords with a new body 80% elected, 20% appointed, and around half its present size. (At 800-plus strong, the House of Lords is one of the largest legislative chambers in the world).

There’s a lot of support for the idea among all three main parties. Each party’s manifesto in the 2010 election broadly agreed on the idea.

But the big question is – will it be another 100 years before any reform comes through?

I’m not sure.

The problem is that there are big disagreements within each party.

All sorts of odd alliances are developing. Those who want to keep things as they are, with no elected members at all, and those who want to have 100% elected, are joining forces to stop this plan.

Normally, Governments in the end get their business through timetable motions. But alliances of this kind can make that impossible.

Personally, I support the current plan. Indeed, it is based on one which I helped draw up when Justice Secretary.

I came to a very important conclusion from that experience.

If we want an elected Second Chamber to replace the current Lords, we have to ask the British people first, in a referendum – the same as they were about joining the EU, about the Commons’ voting system – and indeed about whether an area should have an elected mayor.

After all, this country’s system of government belongs to the people, not the politicians.

Comments (3)

7:18pm Thu 26 Apr 12

mavrick says...

Sorry Jack, I am still waiting for my vote on our continued membership of the E.U. So we can have democracy when it suits the elected government, providing we come up with the right answer.
The house of Lords are not elected the House of parliament is. Just do it. or are some people trying to protect a life on easy street?
Sorry Jack, I am still waiting for my vote on our continued membership of the E.U. So we can have democracy when it suits the elected government, providing we come up with the right answer. The house of Lords are not elected the House of parliament is. Just do it. or are some people trying to protect a life on easy street? mavrick

10:38am Sat 28 Apr 12

karolgadge says...

Not all of us missed this anniversary and I hope (though I doubt it) that I'll be around to celebrate the anniversary of the Parliament Act of 1949!

On a more serious note, the traditional concept of a bicameral parliament is that the second chamber adds a constitutional brake on the overwhelming urge of the Commons to increase its powers.
It would be a complete disaster for Britain if a proposed reform ended in an electoral process dominated, once again, by the old, tired and almost washed-up traditional political parties.
We could end up with a mirror-image of the House of Commons, only with powers that were defined, regulated and dominated by those of the 'Lower' house.
Not all of us missed this anniversary and I hope (though I doubt it) that I'll be around to celebrate the anniversary of the Parliament Act of 1949! On a more serious note, the traditional concept of a bicameral parliament is that the second chamber adds a constitutional brake on the overwhelming urge of the Commons to increase its powers. It would be a complete disaster for Britain if a proposed reform ended in an electoral process dominated, once again, by the old, tired and almost washed-up traditional political parties. We could end up with a mirror-image of the House of Commons, only with powers that were defined, regulated and dominated by those of the 'Lower' house. karolgadge

12:04am Tue 8 May 12

cathan says...

I understand that there are 26 unelected Bishops in the House of Lords from the Church of England. This is the only religion represented in the Lords. They have an automatic place there. It's time for this out-dated and out-moded unaccountable privilege to be removed.

Are they in pratice an unelected christian party influencing british politics?

The tories NHS reform bill to privatise the NHS and sell it off to profit-making corporate shareholders was successfull in the House of Lords. But which way did the 26 Bishops in the Lords vote on this issue?
I understand that there are 26 unelected Bishops in the House of Lords from the Church of England. This is the only religion represented in the Lords. They have an automatic place there. It's time for this out-dated and out-moded unaccountable privilege to be removed. Are they in pratice an unelected christian party influencing british politics? The tories NHS reform bill to privatise the NHS and sell it off to profit-making corporate shareholders was successfull in the House of Lords. But which way did the 26 Bishops in the Lords vote on this issue? cathan

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