Should you have coworkers? 150 words to explain why
Under the new rules, leaders of political parties will have to explain why they are nominating someone for the House of Lords.
Leaders must submit a 150-word summary explaining why they are putting forward a candidate.
Details will be published online upon successful appointment of the nominee.
The change will come into effect immediately and is part of wider reforms being made to the Lords by the Government.
Announcing the change, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told MPs it was a “reform this government is proud to announce as part of our wider agenda”.
it follows Introduction of legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit in the Lords,
The legislation is already more than halfway through its parliamentary scrutiny, with Thomas-Symonds saying she wants it to become law as soon as possible.
He said, “It should not happen in a modern legislature that seats are reserved for people on the basis of birth.”
Labor promised in its manifesto to “reform the appointments process to ensure the quality of new appointments” to the House of Lords.
The manifesto also states that since peers are appointed for life, the Chamber has become much larger.
Party leaders may make appointments to increase the number of their peers, and when Parliament is dissolved due to a general election.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May and former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett were among those nominated to be made peers in July’s dissolution honours.
The Prime Minister also often creates a set of resignation honours, or appoints people to become ministers.
Sir Keir Starmer appointed several colleagues to become ministers upon taking office, such as Attorney General Richard Harmer.
Appointments are formally made by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister. Appointments are overseen by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), which advises the Prime Minister on the suitability of candidates.
The move follows criticism of appointments in recent years, particularly under Boris Johnson.
HOLAC rejected more than half of the nominations following Johnson’s resignation on grounds of justification.
Some of the nominations that were accepted faced criticism, such as Charlotte Owen, a short-term political consultant Johnson, who became the youngest peer at the age of 30.
in October Johnson Attacked critics of the appointmentSaying that Baroness Owen’s behavior was “absolutely shameful” and gender discriminatory.
