Labour to reveal plans to abolish House of Lords

Published on Saturday 13 March 2010 23:18

PLANS to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a wholly elected, 300-seat second chamber are set to be unveiled by the government before the general election, it was claimed last night.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw is said to have been consulting Cabinet colleagues on what would be a key political move.

The government's blueprint would reportedly see all members directly elected, ending the tradition of party patronage.

A proportional representation system would be used to select members, with voting taking place at the same time as general elections. One third of the new chamber would be elected on each occasion, with members serving three terms – up to 15 years – in a system similar to the one used to choose members of the US Senate.

The new "peers" could also be subject to a US-style "recall ballot" which would disqualify them for incompetence.

The legislators would be paid a salary which has yet to be fixed, but it would almost certainly be less than the 65,000 currently paid to backbench MPs.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "We plan to come forward with proposals on Lords reform in the weeks ahead. We do not comment on leaks."