Keir Starmer pledges to axe House of Lords to ‘restore public’s trust in politics’

Under Keir Starmer’s plans, the Lords replacement would be “truly representative” of the UK’s nations and regions

Keir Starmer plans to axe the House of Lords (

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Keir Starmer says he would abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an elected chamber if he becomes prime minister.

The proposal would be part of a plan to “restore trust in politics” with an immediate reform of the current and often-criticised appointments process.

Labour would also hold a consultation on the composition and size of a new chamber. There have long been warnings that membership of the House of Lords is becoming excessive

Boris Johnson courted controversy with some of his appointments to the unelected chamber, notably Lord Lebedev. The media mogul and son of an ex-KGB agent was given a life peerage in 2020 but has spoken just once on the floor of the House.

The proposal would be part of a plan to “restore trust in politics” (

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Getty Images)

More recently, Mr Johnson has faced accusations that he has proposed several Conservative MPs for peerages but told them to delay accepting them to prevent triggering by-elections.

The Observer, reports that Mr Starmer, whose party has a considerable lead in the polls after weeks of political instability, told Labour peers that part of the reason for reform was the public “have lost faith in the ability of politicians and politics to bring about change”.

Under his plans, the Lords replacement would be “truly representative” of the UK’s nations and regions while still retaining its role as the second chamber in relation to the Commons.

It comes as Mr Starmer takes advice from Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as he gears Labour up for government.

After the chaos of recent weeks triggered by Ms Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, Labour remains ahead in the polls despite the arrival of Rishi Sunak into No 10.

Mr Starmer said: “I’ve been talking to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for some time now.

“I’m conscious that we’ve been out of power for 12 years. That means I don’t have people around the shadow cabinet table who’ve got huge experience in government. So, I’m determined that we need to be ready to hit the ground running.”

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