Keir Starmer's Plan to Pack the House of Lords with 200 More Peers

From Abolishment Vows to Expansion Plans

Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly seeking to increase the number of Labour peers in the House of Lords by 200, despite previously promising to abolish the unelected Chamber during his 2022 leadership campaign.

Pushing for a Majority

The move to add more Labour peers is seen as a strategy to secure a majority in the House of Lords and facilitate the passage of key legislation through both Houses of Parliament.

Current Composition and Potential Impact

With 805 members, the House of Lords is already one of the largest parliamentary Chambers globally. If the plan goes through, the Chamber could see a significant increase to a staggering 1,000 peers, with implications for party representation and decision-making.

Labour's Perspective

A Labour insider expressed the party's desire for more peers who are active in legislative work and can effectively advance their agenda, while a party spokesperson emphasized the commitment to remove hereditary peers and implement retirement requirements for all members.

Official Response

While a No10 spokeswoman stated that the reported number of additional peers is not recognized, the push for expanding Labour's presence in the House of Lords remains a topic of discussion within the party.