Starmer eyes dozens of Lords seats in attempt to ensure Labour agenda

June 21, 2023

Starmer eyes dozens of House of Lords seats in attempt to ensure Labour government agenda is implemented

Labour leader must appoint more peers to avoid conflict with the upper chamber
Sir Keir opposed Johnson’s resignation honours and pledged to abolish Lords

Labour is planning to appoint dozens of peers to the House of Lords in an attempt to ensure the agenda of a Sir Keir Starmer government is implemented.

Even though Sir Keir opposed Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list and pledged to abolish the Lords, he must appoint more peers to avoid a conflict with the upper chamber, The Times reported last night.

Unless Sir Keir ennobles almost 100 Labour politicians, the Conservatives will remain the largest party in the upper chamber, with 263 peers compared to Labour’s 174.

A senior party source confirmed Labour was already mulling over the choice of peers, favouring those of working age who could play an active role.

‘We will need to level the playing field to get any of our legislation through. And abolishing the Lords is hardly mission critical to the first three years of a Labour government,’ a source told The Times.

Unless Sir Keir ennobles almost 100 Labour politicians, the Conservatives will remain the largest party in the upper chamber, with 263 peers compared to Labour’s 174

It comes the day after Boris Johnson’s political enemies united in a bid to end his political career as they rubber-stamped a report condemning his conduct over Partygate.

MPs voted to approve the Commons privileges committee findings by 354 votes to 7 – a majority of 347.

During a fractious debate prior to the vote, the former prime minister’s Tory critics lined up with Labour to back a damning report from the committee, which found Mr Johnson had lied to Parliament.

Theresa May, whose premiership was effectively ended by Mr Johnson, told Tory MPs it was ‘doubly important for us to show that we are prepared to act when one of our own, however senior, is found wanting’.

In a swipe at Mr Johnson’s turbulent reign, she added: ‘Following an unsettling period in our political life, support for the report of the privileges committee will be a small but important step in restoring people’s trust in members of this House and of Parliament.’

Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, who was sacked as defence secretary by Mr Johnson, also twisted the knife as she became the first Cabinet minister to confirm she would vote to back the committee’s findings, saying Parliament had ‘the right not to be misled’.

Ms Mordaunt also appeared to accuse Mr Johnson of the ‘debasement of our honours system’.

A crunch debate was held on the Privileges Committee’s damning conclusions on Boris Johnson’s 59th birthday

Dame Andrea Leadsom, another minister sacked by Mr Johnson, said she would also back the report, adding: ‘I am sad that it has come to this, and I am particularly sorry to all of my constituents who have written to tell me that they kept the rules when others clearly did not.’

Downing Street refused to say what Rishi Sunak thought about the privileges committee report. Sources suggested the Prime Minister did not show up for the vote last night.

Mr Johnson, who condemned the committee as a ‘kangaroo court’, had warned supporters that they had no chance of overturning the report’s findings against him.

But some loyalists defended his actions and questioned the committee’s findings.

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