Keir Starmer’s planned peer-packing would transform the House of Lords into a Labour fiefdom, effectively turning it into a legislative conveyor belt for his agenda, says Claire Bullivant.
Sir Keir Starmer, a politician of many promises, and—dare I say it?—many reversals. Just three years ago, the man who now occupies No. 10 vowed to abolish the House of Lords to “restore trust in politics.”
But, fast forward to today, and Labour insiders now tell us he’s scheming to stack the Lords with 200 more Labour peers.
If that isn’t a classic case of political flip-flopping, I don’t know what is.
Starmer’s pledge was even part of his leadership campaign in 2020—a time when he seemed determined to rid our system of what he called an “outdated, elitist institution.” But now, conveniently, it seems that abolishing the Lords is no longer quite so attractive. Why? Because, like many who’ve hungered for power before him, Prime Minister Flip Flop is realising just how useful the Lords can be when it comes to ramming legislation through Parliament. And make no mistake: it’s a calculated political move about securing a Labour majority for a long time to come, not some high-minded constitutional reform.
Sir Keir is realising just how useful the Lords can be when it comes to ramming legislation through Parliament.
Of course we all remember in his manifesto, Starmer declared that hereditary peers—most of whom are Conservative—would be sent packing… and we’re already seeing that legislation to get rid of them being pushed. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which just passed its Second Reading, seeks to banish the remaining 92 hereditary peers from their right to sit and vote.
For Labour, this is a no-brainer: it would tilt the scales of power even more in their favour and of course, the so-called “outdated relic of the past” argument here is a convenient façade for political gain.
But let’s get to the meat of it. After getting rid of the mainly Conservative hereditary peers, Starmer now wants to appoint an eye-popping 200 new Labour peers. Yes, you heard that right. As one Labour insider put it in The Sun: “Downing Street wants lots more peers who… will get legislation through.” It’s an open secret that Labour is plotting to massively beef up their numbers in the Lords to ram their legislative agenda down Parliament’s throat.
This means that under Starmer’s watch, we could end up with a House of Lords boasting over 1,000 peers—making it one of the largest legislative bodies in the world. Only China’s National People’s Congress, that bastion of authoritarianism, has more members. If that doesn’t scream irony, I don’t know what does.
The long-standing institutions of this country are being chipped away in the name of “modernisation”—but what it really amounts to is a naked power grab.
Now, let’s take a moment to reflect on the hypocrisy here. Labour loves to wax lyrical about ending elitism and privilege, yet they’re about to stuff the Lords with unelected appointees, many of whom will be loyalists ready to rubber-stamp their every move. Starmer’s planned peer-packing would transform the House of Lords into a Labour fiefdom, effectively turning it into a legislative conveyor belt for his agenda.
And mark my words, this isn’t just about the Lords. Once they’ve done away with hereditary peers, Labour will set its sights on the hereditary monarchy itself. The writing is on the wall, and you don’t need a crystal ball to see it. The long-standing institutions of this country are being chipped away in the name of “modernisation”—but what it really amounts to is a naked power grab.
So, while Sir Keir might have promised to abolish the House of Lords in the name of restoring trust, what he’s really doing is gearing up to use it as his personal political battering ram.
Britain deserves better than this. We need a leader who genuinely cares about reforming our institutions—not just stacking them in his favour to cling to power. The House of Lords is supposed to be a chamber of expertise and moderation, not a political conveyor belt for one party’s agenda. Starmer’s flip-flop on Lords reform is a warning shot for what’s to come—a government willing to sacrifice integrity for control.
We could soon find ourselves with a Lords crammed full of Labour appointees, wielding unchecked power. Let’s wake up, Britons—let’s not let that happen.
Claire Bullivant, Editor
Claire is the founder and editor of the Conservative Post and was a co-founder of the Conservative Democratic Organisation. Claire is now setting up www.GreatBritishPAC.com. Pre-register today.
