THE Lords could be heading north, under new plans by Boris Johnson to move the UK’s 800 peers out of London.
According to reports, the Prime Minister is looking to force the upper house to base themselves permanently in York or Birmingham.
SNP MP Tommy Sheppard described the plans as “gesture politics at its worst”, and instead insisted that the Tory leader “scrap the unelected chamber entirely”.
The Sunday Times claimed that Johnson last week ordered work to begin on the practicalities of a move following last month’s General Election, in which the Tories secured a comfortable majority after winning seats in the north that had traditionally backed Labour.
The paper says disused government-owned land close to York railway station has already been identified as a prime site to build the new second chamber.
Johnson also wants the House of Commons to go on tour, holding several days of debates in cities outside of London.
Both proposals are set to form part of a constitutional review to be launched in the spring, which will also consider whether or not the Lords should be replaced by a senate of the nations and regions.
READ MORE: SNP report exposes disconnect between House of Lords and Scotland
Tory Party chairman James Cleverly told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “What we are looking at is a whole range of options about making sure every part of the UK feels properly connected from politics.
“When the PM stood up the day after the election and said this is going to be the people’s government he meant it. That meant connecting people with government and politics.
“The referendum in 2016 wasn’t just about our relationship with the EU, it was about millions of people and their relationship with politics as a whole.”
Asked if the Tories would really push on with a move, Cleverly replied: “We might. It’s one of a range of things that we are looking into. But fundamentally what this is about is about demonstrating that we are going to do things differently.”
Sheppard wasn’t convinced. The SNP frontbencher said: “The Tories are clearly desperate to keep this institution which has no place in a modern democracy.
“Moving the House of Lords outside of London is gesture politics at its worst and would only remind people of the inequality and privilege the Tories are determined to reinforce in government. The only obvious solution to the problem of the House of Lords is to scrap the unelected chamber entirely.”
Under current plans for the six-year restoration of the Houses of Parliament, members of the Lords are due to move just over the road to Queen Elizabeth II conference centre.
A No 10 source told the Sunday Times: “This will serve as a strong signal that we are serious about refocusing attention and investment away from London. It will set an example for the rest of the public sector and, of course, businesses looking to expand beyond the M25.”
Meanwhile, Labour have become engulfed in a new cronyism row after Jeremy Corbyn nominated his former chief of staff for a peerage.
The outgoing party chief wants to move Karie Murphy, as well as John Bercow and former deputy Tom Watson, into the House of Lords.
The former Glasgow nurse, who led the strategy for the party’s disastrous election campaign, is a controversial figure.
Rosena Allin-Khan, the London MP standing to become Labour’s deputy leader, suggested Murphy should not be nominated for a peerage until the Equality and Human Rights Commission independent inquiry into antisemitism in the party had concluded.
“I personally don’t know Karie Murphy well at all. What I do know is that she’s currently being investigated by the EHRC. And I made clear yesterday that as deputy leader I would take onboard every single recommendation by the EHRC. And Hope Not Hate [the anti-racism campaign group] said that anyone being investigated by the EHRC shouldn’t be recommended for a peerage. So I do think that needs to be taken seriously,” she said.
“I would like to see the outcome of the EHRC report,” Allin-Khan added.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel