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Political leader Nigel Farage of Reform UK recently made a request to the prime minister to give him the authority to select peers to the House of Lords. In a letter addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, Farage expressed his concerns about the lack of representation in the upper chamber for parties with fewer Members of Parliament. Even though Reform has only four MPs in the House of Commons and controls ten councils in England, the party currently does not have any peers in the House of Lords. The prime minister has been contacted for a response to Farage’s request.
The House of Lords plays a crucial role in the UK Parliament by scrutinizing the government’s work independently from the House of Commons where Members of Parliament sit. Peers, who are members of the Lords, are responsible for examining government actions and suggesting amendments to proposed legislation. Currently, there are more than 800 peers in the House of Lords. Farage highlighted the significant number of votes and seats that Reform has acquired, emphasizing the need for a more democratic representation in the upper house.
Farage pointed out the existing disparity in the House of Lords by comparing the number of peers from other parties to Reform. He noted that despite the Green Party, Plaid Cymru, and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) collectively having 13 peers, the Liberal Democrats have 76 peers despite receiving fewer votes than Reform in the previous election. Farage argued that with the changing landscape of British politics, it is imperative to address the democratic imbalance in the composition of the House of Lords. Although Farage’s request to appoint peers was described as “modest,” he did not disclose any potential nominees if granted the opportunity.
Reform UK made significant gains in local elections earlier this year, including winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election with a narrow margin of six votes. Farage’s assertion that Reform UK is now the main opposition party following these electoral victories marked a pivotal moment for the party. While the prime minister is not constitutionally obligated to appoint peers from opposition parties, it is a customary practice for them to seek nominations from opposition leaders. In the past year, Sir Keir appointed 30 new Labour peers, while the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats appointed six and two new peers, respectively. Additionally, there has been a push to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords, as supported by MPs in recent discussions
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