To an outsider looking in, the House of Lords can seem a quirk in one of the world’s oldest and most vibrant democracies. The Lords, with its unelected nature, makes it the target of all emotions – debate and discussion, praise and critique, appreciation and blame.
For decades, the Conservative Party has shied away from House of Lords reform. The job – left half finished by Labour two decades ago – needs to be seized upon by a future Conservative government. It is an area ripe for manageable, meaningful reform.
Reform should not come in the form of abolition, or in the introduction of regular popular election. Such arguments shoot wide of the mark, and fail to appreciate the Lords’ unique technocratic abilities. The House of Lords needs only two reforms to ensure it remains intact for centuries to come.
The first reform is to end hereditary peerage for good. A technocratic, deliberative and principled second chamber, freed from the changing mood of the electorate, serves our country well. In times of national need, the Lords are a pensive voice; in times of crisis, an experienced hand.
Those that enter the Lords must be highly qualified in their areas of expertise. The chamber must be culturally and ethnically diverse, counting men and women from across sectors and industries in its number. To become a Lord must be the ultimate recognition of one’s wisdom and national contribution. And hereditary peerage drives a horse and carriages through this principle.
Of course, current hereditary peers have acquired knowledge and experience of governing which few others possess. That experience should not be lost. But their children do not have this experience. In a modern, liberal democracy, a technocratic chamber must not coexist alongside feudal nepotism.
The first change must therefore be to convert existing hereditary peerages into life peerages. In one simple move, a key weakness of the House of Lords would be removed and future space freed up for those across the country who deserve it most.
Alongside this change, a future Conservative government must introduce an independent, cross-party, appointments committee for the House of Lords.
Of course, this would be a loss of power for a future Conservative government, who would at that time enjoy the unfettered right to appoint Lords to the chamber. But a future Conservative government must be fair-minded, liberal and principled. They must think about the greater good; not just the Party.
A future Conservative government should seek to defend the House of Lords and its technocratic characteristics. Those characteristics provide invaluable insight and support to hardworking elected MPs. And one recurrent criticism of the House of Lords is the opaque peer-selection process. On a daily basis, this narrative threatens to undermine the great work the chamber does. The introduction of an independent appointments committee would dispatch that concern.
With these two, simple reforms, a future Conservative government can ensure the value and integrity of the House of Lords for future generations. In doing so, it will promote an able and dynamic House of Lords, which in turn will ensure higher quality legislation for decades to come – regardless of who is in power.
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