An MP is urging significant changes to the House of Lords following an investigation by the Mirror, revealing that around 109 peers could face expulsion if new attendance regulations are sanctioned.
Among the notable figures at risk are former Prime Minister David Cameron, aged 59, ex-deputy PM Michael Heseltine, aged 93, former chancellor Philip Hammond, aged 70, ex-Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson, aged 47, and the party’s former London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith, aged 51.
Additionally, prominent individuals potentially facing removal due to proposed attendance guidelines mandating at least 20% participation in sitting days include Apprentice boss Alan Sugar, aged 79, cricket legend Ian Botham, aged 70, and newspaper proprietor Evgeny Lebedev, aged 46, who reportedly only attended 1% of all sessions between November 2023 and February 2026.
Pete Wishart, SNP Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and MP for Perth and Kinross-shire, advocates for more extensive reforms. He criticized the House of Lords as an oversized, unelected entity that has no place in a modern democratic system and emphasized the need for a thorough reconsideration of its existence.
Wishart highlighted the contradiction in Westminster’s stance on Lords reform, pointing out the reluctance to address the core issue of an unelected chamber wielding legislative power. He also criticized the acceptance of peerage by politicians despite advocating for reform, calling for the abolition of the House of Lords or its transformation into a democratically accountable body.
Lord George Foulkes, a former minister, expressed strong support for the proposed changes, emphasizing the need for peers to view their role as a job rather than an honor, and advocating for stricter attendance requirements to ensure active participation.
The analysis of attendance records revealed varying levels of engagement among peers, with Lord Cameron attending 15.1% of possible sessions, Lord Heseltine at 3.7%, and Lord Hammond at 4.5% during the specified period. Ruth Davidson and Zac Goldsmith attended 6.6% and 6.1% of sessions, respectively.
The call for reform comes after the House of Lords Retirement and Participation Committee recommended raising the attendance threshold to 20% of sitting days, averaged over two sessions. The committee also proposed a retirement age cap of 80 to ensure the effective functioning of the House. The government is set to review these recommendations in response to the pressing need for reform in the House of Lords.
