THERESA May has been accused of making a “mockery” of democracy by creating a swathe of new peers to sit in the House of Lords.

She was challenged on the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions by the SNP’s Pete Wishart, who pointed to the string of defeats the Conservative Government had suffered in the upper chamber on the Brexit Bill and the subsequent creation of 13 new peers, nine of whom will sit as Tories.

"After all these defeats apparently we need the right type of crony,” declared the Perth MP.

"There are now over 800 cronies, donors and aristocrats in that circus down the corridor, embarrassing this nation and mocking any notion of democracy. How many more is she going to appoint and when will enough be enough?" asked Mr Wishart.

Mrs May replied: "Well, can I say to him that actually the total size of the House of Lords has fallen since I took office in July 2016 and from the sound of what he says he's making a bid for himself to be put into the House of Lords. He needs to speak to his leader."

The SNP has no representation in the upper chamber.

Among the newly created peers is Sir Eric Pickles, the former Communities Secretary, who argued the PM had not been motivated by the parliamentary setbacks in the Lords because only one of the new wave of Tory peers was a "committed Brexiteer".

Labour will add three to its ranks in the upper chamber and former DUP MP William McCrea will also become a peer.