Nigel Farage makes demand of PM as he wants his 'cronies' in House of Lords
Nigel Farage wants to nominate Reform UK peers to the House of Lords and has demanded Keir Starmer allow him to do so.
The Reform UK leader wants to see representatives from his party in ermine-clad robes - despite him previously calling for the unelected House of Lords to be abolished. He now wants to be allowed to nominate people to the unelected chambers.
The Clacton MP highlighted that the Green Party, which also has four MPs, has two working peers while the Democratic Unionist Party, which has only five MPs, has six members. Mr Farage said the situation amounted to a 'democratic disparity' that meant Reform UK had four MPs and controls ten councils, but has no one in the Lords, The Times reported. It comes after Nigel Farage's appearances on Sky News sparked thousands of complaints.
Asked about Mr Farage's calls, Defence Secretary John Healey told LBC this morning that this was the "same Nigel Farage that called for the abolition of the house" and now he wants to put his "cronies" in there. He added: "I'm not sure that Parliament's going to be benefit from more Putin apologists like Nigel Farage, to be honest."
The Prime Minister has control over political appointments to the House of Lords. Members can be suggested by the public and political parties and are then approved by the PM, before being formalised by the King.
Rows have previously erupted after Prime Ministers have nominated their mates to become peers in the House of Lords. Ex-PM Boris Johnson faced anger for handing life peerages to his former aides in No10. He also made Evegeny Lebedev, the media mogul and son of billionaire ex-KGB agent Alexander, a peer in the bloated House of Lords back in 2020.
Mr Starmer's government has promised to tighten the rules. In December, it has said political parties will now have to justify nominations to the upper chamber following years of rows over alleged cronyism.
There is no obligation for the PM to appoint peers from opposition parties though usually they grant some to them.
At the end of last year, Mr Starmer appointed 30 new Labour peers, with gongs for former aide Sue Gray and a number of former MPs. In his first round of political honours, the Prime Minister handed a life peerage to Partygate inquisitor Ms Gray, who served as his chief of staff for less than 100 days before being ousted after a string of internal rows. Mr Starmer also gave seats in the Lords to ex-MPs Thangam Debbonaire, Luciana Berger, Lyn Brown, Kevin Brennan, Steve McCabe and Julie Elliott, along with former Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones.
The PM allowed the Tories to name six peers. Kemi Badenoch 's names included controversial "free speech" champion Toby Young and Prof Nigel Biggar, a staunch advocate of the culture wars. She also handed seats in the Lords to former Cabinet Minister Therese Coffey, who was deputy PM under Liz Truss. Mr Starmer also allowed Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey to nominate two new peers.
In a letter to the PM, seen by The Times, Mr Farage has criticised Reform UK not being allowed to nominate anyone. He said: 'My party received over 4.1 million votes at the general election in July 2024 [and] have since won a large number of seats in local government, led in the national opinion polls for many months and won the only by-election of this parliament,' he wrote.
'The Greens, DUP, Plaid Cymru and UUP [Ulster Unionist Party] have 13 peers between them, but Reform UK has none. The time has come to address the democratic disparity that exists in the upper house.'
Names on a possible Reform UK peers nomination list could include Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative MP who is now Reform UK's immigration and justice spokesperson, and Nick Candy, a Reform UK donor and the party's treasurer, and Zia Yusuf, the party's former chairman.
Lord Hayward, the Conservative peer and election expert, told The Times: "Just because Reform has a few MPs and is doing well in the opinion polls that does not mean that they are an established credible party that should be represented in the House of Lords.
'I think Starmer is entirely within his rights to wait and see how Reform actually does over the next few years before making a decision.' He added that of five Reform MPs elected in 2024, the party had already 'lost' two after they resigned.
Lord Norton of Louth, a constitutional expert, told the newspaper there was a 'case for minor parties like Reform to have representation in the House of Lords'. 'The prime minister is the only person who writes the rules on this as it stands,' he said.
'Historically appointments to the House of Lords were in the gift of the Crown but that function has been passed to the prime minister. So any decision on whether to create Reform MPs would rest with him alone.'
Lord O'Donnell, a former cabinet secretary, told the newspaper: 'It is a feature of our system that the prime minister can appoint whoever they like to the House of Lords. It is an area where I think we need greater checks and balances.'
Baroness Fox of Buckley, a member of Mr Farage's Brexit Party who was nominated by Boris Johnson and sits as a crossbencher, added: 'Labour says it wants to improve the diversity of the House of Lords and this seems like a very sensible place to start. There can be no rational reason for Starmer to turn it down.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Why Reform UK should be represented in the House of Lords
Much diminished from the glory days when it fielded prime ministers and vetoed legislation, the House of Lords remains an important part of Britain's democracy. Though still in constitutional limbo while politicians argue over whether it should be reformed or abolished, the Lords, with or without hereditary peers, performs an essential task in scrutinising legislation, raising issues of public concern and tidying up poorly drafted laws. Its strength is that it is increasingly non-partisan. Many peers are appointed after a lifetime of public service and sit as crossbenchers. They bring varied experience to the chamber, independent opinions and voting patterns untrammelled by party diktats. True, too many are still appointed as reward for slavish loyalty, as compensation for careers cut short or for filling party coffers. True, some recent appointments have been breathtaking in their frivolity and cynicism. It is true also that there are simply too many peers, with some turning up only for the minimum time to qualify for the daily allowance while their voices remain unheard and their views unknown. However it is finally constituted, the upper chamber, as in other western democracies, should be broadly representative of the nation, its voters and its vital interests. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, is therefore absolutely right in demanding that his party should be represented. It won 4.1 million votes in the general election, gained many seats in local elections, controls ten councils outright and may do well in future elections. The Greens, the Democratic Unionist Party, Plaid Cymru and the Ulster Unionists, all winning fewer votes, have 13 peers between them. • Reform peers? We don't need Putin apologists, says John Healey Bizarrely, nomination to the Lords is entirely in the prime minister's gift. There are several serious politicians affiliated to Reform. Sir Keir Starmer should put their names forward straight away.
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Rigging row erupts after Nigel Farage's demand for Reform peers in House of Lords is rebuffed
A RIGGING row has erupted after Labour rebuffed Nigel Farage's demand for Reform representation in the House of Lords. The Brexiteer has no peers in the upper chamber and asked Sir Keir Starmer to grant some. He sent a letter to the PM — who has ultimate say over appointments — arguing the 'seismic shifts' in British politics merits some Reform seats. Although they have just four MPs, Mr Farage's party is leading national opinion polls. He has in the past called for the Lords to be replaced with an elected chamber akin to that in the US. Mr Farage said: 'Whilst Reform UK believes in a reformed House of Lords, the time has come to address the democratic disparity there.' But Defence Secretary John Healey told LBC: 'This is the same Nigel Farage that called for the abolition of the House of Lords and now wants to fill it with his cronies. 'I'm not sure Parliament is going to benefit from more Putin apologists like Farage.' While PMs technically have the final say on House of Lords appointments, they grant opposition parties some peers. When Sir Keir nominated 30 Labour lords in December, he allowed six Tories to be elevated to the upper legislature. Hitting back at Mr Healey's remarks, Reform deputy Richard Tice last night accused Labour of not playing fair. Denying they were 'Putin apologists', he told The Sun: 'It's a democratic outrage and another old-fashioned establishment stitch-up. They are essentially rigging the system against the new party, changing the rules of the game.' Reform party leader Nigel Farage discusses immigration at Westminster press conference In his letter, Mr Farage noted Lib Dems have 76 peers but received 600,000 fewer votes than Reform last year. Sir Keir previously pledged to abolish the Lords but he is not expected to carry out plans before the next election. 1
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Vladimir Putin health fears as dictator seen limping from plane before Donald Trump meeting
Vladimir Putin appeared to limp as he walked down the stairs of his presidential plane ahead of his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska as they aim to work towards a peace plan Russian leader Vladimir Putin's health has come under scrutiny after he was seen limping during as he prepared to meet Donald Trump. The dictator was forced to take a pause halfway down the stairs of his presidential plane tonight before meeting the US President. It happened just before their crucial talks in Alaska, aimed at forging a peace plan for Ukraine. Rumours regarding Putin's health have been circulating for years, and his arrival in Anchorage will only add fuel to the fire. The 72-year-old seemed to wince as he walked along the red carpet to greet Mr Trump, where they eventually exchanged pleasantries and handshakes. It comes after Donald Trump's mental state 'clear to see' as lawmakers urged to 'act now'. Putin warns of nuclear war after unleashing another night of hell on Ukraine Earlier this year Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky sparked speculation about the dictator's health after he claimed the Russian despot "will die soon". Rumours about the 72-year-old's health have swirled in recent years, with former intelligence chiefs and sources within Russia among those to have alleged he could be seriously - or even terminally - ill. Some commentators have claimed that his decision to invade Ukraine in 2022 was in part prompted by a growing sense of his own mortality, with the former KGB man said to have become increasingly concerned with cementing his legacy after becoming paranoid during the Covid pandemic. Here's everything we know about Putin's health: One of the leading theories about Putin's health is that he has a form of Parkinson's disease. Sir Richard Dearlove, a former head of MI6, said last year that ongoing concerns over the Russian president's health were likely down to the progressive disorder, which begins with shaking symptoms before leading reduced mobility and brain damage. Responding to a question about "how well or sick" the Kremlin leader is, the former MI6 boss responded: "I do not have a clear answer to that, but I have contacts and friends still in eastern Europe who think that there is something fundamentally wrong with him medically. But I'm not a clinician.' He added that it was "probably Parkinson's, which of course has different representations, different variations, different seriousness. But if the man is paranoid - and I think the murder of Navalny might suggest a certain paranoia - that is one of the symptoms." Many of the health rumours have been prompted by footage of the Russian president jittering and trembling involuntarily. The first reports of this began around 2022, and have persisted in the years as more videos have emerged of him twitching his arms and legs during televised appearances. Putin was seen shaking "uncontrollably" during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in February, and at one point appeared to use his hand to try and stop his hand moving. In November, he appeared unable to control his movements while giving an hour-long speech at a podium in Kazakhstan. Visible spasms began in his left foot, before spreading to both legs and feet.
