Theresa May plots drastic House of Lords overhaul after David Cameron’s resignation honours list sparks outrage
Plans to elect peers and reform the bloated upper chamber are part of a drive to restore public faith in politics
THERESA May is considering a dramatic overhaul of the House of Lords after David Cameron packed it with more Tory cronies, The Sun can reveal.
Insiders said the PM could finally reform the bloated upper chamber as part of a drive to “restore trust” in politics and create “a democracy that works for everyone”.
Mrs May has previously demanded an end to the current system which lets party bosses hand peerages to pals and rich donors.
Mr Cameron continued that tradition with his resignation awards list, creating 13 more Tory peers including a handful of his closest aides and party benefactors.
But the new PM has said she wants the vast majority in the House of Lords to be “elected by the many” rather than “selected by the few”.
Mrs May was Shadow Commons Leader in 2007 when MPs voted for an elected House of Lords.
During debates on the issue she called for “Ronseal reforms” which “do what it says on the tin”.
In a sign of her passion for change, she declared: “As democrats, we cannot support proposals that continue the principle of patronage.”
And she added: “Reform should create an upper Chamber that is capable of challenging and revising Government policy, that is democratic and accountable, and that is expert and independent.”
Years of dithering over reform have seen the House of Lords second-biggest political chamber in the world behind China’s People’s Congress.
Mr Cameron led half-hearted attempts to halve the number of peers to 450 and make at least 80 per cent of them elected but the plans died during the Coalition.
And after his resignation patronage re-ignited demands for reform by taking the total number of peers over 800, a Government source said there was “an appetite” to look at major changes.
In another split with the Cameron regime, they pointed to Mrs May’s promise to create “a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few”.
During her campaign the PM called for “a democracy that works for everyone, so we can restore trust and confidence in our most important institutions – and the political process itself”.
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Sweeping reforms could trigger a backbench Tory rebellion.
But they are likely to be backed by Labour and the Lib Dems – meaning Mrs May’s Commons majority of 17 should not be an issue.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron signalled he would support changes last night, saying: “It is time for Lords reform.”
And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has also demanded reform.
PEER PRESSURE: Cameron cronies defend honours list
TWO of David Cameron’s cronies have attacked criticism of his decision to shower aides and allies with honours. Hugo Swire, who was given a knighthood on Thursday, and Greg Barker who was made a Lord last year hit back at Mr Cameron’s ex-guru Steve Hilton who branded the resignation list “corruption” for including Tory donors. The pair took to Twitter to ride to their boss’s defence, with Mr Swire saying: “Am I alone in never being able to work out which way up @Stevehiltonx is?” That came as he shared a Tweet from fellow Tory MP Richard Benyon branding California-based Mr Hilton a “pompous arse” and saying he was “back from his Californian yurt to patronise and amuse us”. And Lord Barker suggested t-shirt wearing Mr Hilton had no right to intervene in British life, saying: “Would love to know where @SteveHiltonx pays #Taxation while lecturing us all on UK #Representation” But Mr Hilton, who was Mr Cameron’s policy guru, responded: “Can’t people disagree on a policy matter without it being personal?” He had written a newspaper article calling for political funding to be reformed in the wake of the honours scandal.