Status: 05.12.2022 8:31 p.m
The Labor Party in Great Britain wants to initiate a constitutional reform and abolish the venerable House of Lords in the event of an election victory in 2025. Opposition leader Starmer no longer called the chamber up to date.
If the British Labor Party wins the general election in 2025, it wants to abolish the House of Lords. This was announced by Labor leader Keir Starmer. “I think the House of Lords is untenable,” he told the BBC.
The Labor plans are to replace the House of Lords “with an elected House of Parliament that will have a really strong mandate”.
Proposal: new composition of the Chamber
The concept of constitutional reform was drafted by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He was Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010. The centerpiece of his 40-point plan is the abolition of the British House of Lords in its current form.
Currently, the House of Lords – one of the two chambers of Parliament in London – is made up of political elected officials, hereditary nobles and bishops of the Church of England. The historic House of Lords, with around 800 members, has an advisory role and can postpone, but not prevent, legislation passed by the House of Commons.
According to Brown’s proposal, the House of Lords should in future consist of members from the regions and countries of the United Kingdom. The chamber should also be “smaller, more representative and more democratic”.
The British House of Lords consists of political elected officials, hereditary nobles and bishops of the Church of England.
Image: dpa
“Assembly of Nations and Regions”
In addition, Brown’s recommendations envisage greater decentralization, with the UK’s regions and countries being strengthened as a democratic “assembly of nations and regions”. He also proposed more powers for Scotland and Wales, which already have semi-autonomous parliaments based in Edinburgh and Cardiff. Brown also wants to counteract the independence efforts in Scotland.
Labor leader Starmer promised “the greatest handover of power ever” from Parliament to the people. He justified the reform plans primarily with Brexit and its consequences: Many voters decided to leave the EU in 2016 because they felt they had no democratic control. Starmer attributed the weak economic growth of the past 12 years under the Conservative government in part to Britain as a whole being unable to spur growth and over-relying on London and south-east England.
Labor is currently ahead in opinion polls
Starmer announced he would implement the proposals within five years of taking office. The draft is initially based on recommendations. The party now wants to discuss details and deal with further proposed changes before including the concept in its election program for 2025.
Labor has a good chance of winning the general election in January 2025. In opinion polls, the opposition party is currently well ahead of the ruling Conservatives.
Attempts at reform by several governments
Several governments have already tried to reform the chamber. The Labor government of Prime Minister Tony Blair two decades ago removed hundreds of nobles from the chamber and replaced them with “life peers” appointed by the government and political parties. However, further attempts at reform came to a halt.