The leader of the Conservatives in the House of Lords has urged Sir Keir Starmer to allow Reform UK to have seats in the Upper Chamber.
Lord True said it was a “sensible constitutional principle” for every party that has MPs in the House of Commons to have representatives in the House of Lords.
Reform’s leader Nigel Farage, who in 2019 called for the abolition of the House of Lords as the leader of the then-titled Brexit Party, wrote to Sir Keir in August, saying there was a “democratic disparity” in the Upper Chamber.
Now, in a rare interview, Lord True said Reform needed to give its point of view in both Houses.
He told The Telegraph: “My view is that if Reform wins seats in the House of Commons, they should have seats here.
“The beauty of this House is its complete freedom.
“So any peer here wants to put down an amendment, that amendment must be heard.
“Having somebody from a party that is represented in the House of Commons, to take a detailed part in examination and to put forward that party’s point of view, I think is a sensible constitutional principle.”
Lord True has called on Keir Starmer to appoint Reform peerages
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In December, Sir Keir created 25 new Labour peers, while the Liberal Democrats received five and the Conservatives three. Other parties in the upper house include the DUP with six seats, the UUP with three, and the Green Party and Plaid Cymru with two each.
While the Prime Minister has full discretion over appointments to the Lords and is not required by law to grant seats to opposition figures, it is not uncommon for leaders to invite nominations from other parties.
Speaking to GB News earlier today, Mr Farage said the current situation was “monstrous”, adding: “The idea the party that has led the last 175 opinion polls has zero representation in the House of Lords doesn’t say much about the state of our democracy.
“I understand the Government is in trouble and are terrified of us. In every PMQs all he seems to talk about is me, usually in quite disparaging terms.”
Nigel Farage has said there is a ‘democratic disparity’
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Mr Farage’s letter read: “My party received over 4.1 million votes at the general election in July 2024.
“We have since won a large number of seats in local government, led in the national opinion polls for many months and won the only by-election of this parliament.”
Lord True said he had also called for more Labour peers in the House of Lords under Conservative Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.
He said: “Every party needs a refresh in the chamber, particularly a chamber where the average age is 70. You must have new people coming in.”
There have been long-standing concerns about the size of the House and calls to reduce its membership, which currently stands at 850, compared with MPs, who are strictly capped at 650.
This has been accompanied by frustrations at peers who rarely attend or only turn up to claim the daily allowance of £371.
It has fuelled claims some use the House as a glorified members’ club at taxpayers’ expense.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister recently made a string of Labour appointments to the upper chamber, amid claims the Tories had “stuffed the House of Lords, creating a serious imbalance” in numbers and so enabling the now opposition to frustrate the Government’s plans.
Mr Farage welcomed the newest Scottish addition to his party ranks | PA
Former Conservative life peer Malcolm Offord announced his defection to Reform UK in December.
During a speech, Lord Offord confirmed he would give up his place in the House of Lords as he prepares to stand at the Scottish Parliament election in May.
He said: “Scotland is crying out for a centre-right narrative to make the country prosperous once again.
“Scotland needs Reform and Reform is coming to Scotland.”