THE House of Lords has “gone beyond a joke”, campaigners have claimed, after nine new Conservative peers were created while the country was distracted by the royal wedding.
The Electoral Reform Society said the nominations would fuel public cynicism about politics.
Downing Street announced 13 new peers, nine Tory, three Labour and one DUP.
Among the Conservative nominees are former Tory ministers Eric Pickles and Peter Lilley, and the respected former Treasury select committee chair Andrew Tyrie
Others include the former deputy Commons speaker Sir Alan Haselhurst and the former deputy chair of the Conservative party Amanda Sater.
The Labour peers include the UK party’s recent general secretary Iain McNicol.
The appointments come after Theresa May suffered a string of defeats in the Lords over her flagship Brexit legislation, the EU Withdrawal Bill.
The new appointments will improve the Prime Minister’s position in the upper house when other Brexit-related legislation comes to a vote.
Labour peer Lord Adonis criticised the move as “unconstitutional”, adding: “This is a classic example of packing the Lords to try and make Brexit easier to endorse.”
He said it was a mistake for his own party to offer the Tories a “fig-leaf” by nominating peers.
SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “Absolutely unbelievable. This is ‘democracy’ in the UK. When you don’t get your own way simply appoint compliant legislators.”
SNP Brexit minister Michael Russell said it illustrated “the irony - and hypocrisy - of Brexiteers calling the EU undemocratic”.
With more than 780 members, the Lords is the second largest legislative chamber in the world after China’s National People’s Congress.
Last year, a report by former Lords speaker Norman Fowler recommending reducing the House to no more than 600 members, with new peers limited to 15-year terms.
Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society said:? “This has now gone beyond a joke. Time and time again the government talk about reducing the cost of politics.
“Yet at the same time they’re packing the upper house with former MPs and retired party hacks.
“The timing of the announcement appears deeply cynical. At the beginning of the year the Prime Minister lost her nerve in the face of public opposition and delayed making the announcement. Now she is expected to try and hide it behind the euphoria of a Royal wedding.”
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