Lords reform delayed
Lord Falconer, the newly appointed Lord Chancellor, has announced that the publishing of proposals for Lords reform will be delayed.
Plans to replace the last of the hereditary peers, and to reform the House of Lords to make it more accountable and representative were expected to be announced before the summer recess, but the delay follows ongoing disagreement about what to replace the existing system with.
The Government initiated reform in its first term when it removed all but 92 hereditary peers in a deal that saw lords lose their birthright and made to write justifications for their continued service.
Lord Falconer commended the consensus over what the role of the House of Lords should be, though he justified the delay in the proposals by claiming that there is still no consensus over the best make up for the second chamber.
The Government is committed to the removal of hereditary peers from the political system, but has refused to put a deadline on achieving this, and is still debating what replacement would be most appropriate.
A new consultation will be launched in the autumn to look at the role and operation of an appointments commission, though Government plans for an appointed upper house has proven unpopular in the House of Commons.
