Keir Starmer plans to abolish the House of Lords if he becomes Prime Minister

Sir Keir Starmer plans to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an elected chamber if he becomes Prime Minister. The proposal, reported by The Observer, would be part of a plan to "restore trust in politics" and would see Labour holding a consultation on the makeup and size of a new chamber.

The plans would also include immediate reform of the current and often-criticised appointments process as there have long been warnings that membership of the House of Lords is becoming excessive.

Under Sir Keir's plans, the Lords replacement would be "truly representative" of the UK’s nations and regions while still retaining its role as the second chamber in relation to the Commons.

The Observer reports that Sir Keir, whose party has a considerable lead in the polls after weeks of political instability, told Labour peers that part of the reason for reform was the public "have lost faith in the ability of politicians and politics to bring about change".

There have long been warnings that membership in the House of Lords is becoming excessive© PA Media

During his time in office, Boris Johnson faced some controversy with some of his appointments to the unelected chamber of the House of Lords, notably Lord Lebedev.

Lord Lebedev, the media mogul and son of an ex-KGB agent, was given a life peerage in 2020 but has spoken just once on the floor of the House. More recently, Mr Johnson has faced accusations that he has proposed several Conservative MPs for peerages but told them to delay accepting them to prevent triggering by-elections. 

Reference: My London: Story by Dominic McGrath & Hannah Cottrell