Lords reform Plans don't go far enough for public, poll finds

Plans to reform the House of Lords by only removing the remaining hereditary peers do not go far enough in the eyes of the public, polling suggests.

- Henry Dyer

Just 3% of those surveyed backed the government's plans, with 56% of respondents agreeing that ministers should also limit the number of peers the prime minister is able to appoint to the upper chamber for life.

The hereditary peers bill is due to enter report stage in the House of Lords today, after five days of debate with line-by-line consideration of more than 100 amendments during March and April.

The bill fulfils part of Labour's manifesto pledge for "immediate reform of the House of Lords". Labour described the Lords as "too big", with changes "overdue and essential", promising not just to remove the hereditary peers but also to introduce a mandatory retirement age of 80, participation requirements, make it easier to remove disgraced members, and overhaul the appointments process to improve the quality of peers.