Cabinet Minister Dismisses Nigel Farage's Plea For Reform Peers With 1 Brutal Comment
The Reform leader has written to Keir Starmer saying it is unfair that his party has no one in the upper chamber despite getting four million votes at the last general election and leading in the opinion polls.
Farage said there was a 'democratic disparity' in the Lords because parties like the Greens – which has fewer MPs than Reform – has people in the Lords.
He also pointed out that the Lib Dems, which received fewer votes at the general election than Reform, has 76 peers.
'None of this holds water any longer given the seismic shifts that have taken place in British politics,' Farage said.
It is a marked change in approach from Farage, who has previously called for the Lords to be abolished and who railed against 'unelected bureaucrats' when the UK was a member of the European Union.
Asked about the comments on LBC this morning, defence secretary John Healey gave them short shrift.
He said: 'The same Nigel Farage who called for the abolition of the House of Lords now wants to fill it with his cronies.
'I'm not sure that parliament is going to benefit from more Putin apologists like Nigel Farage, to be honest.'
He added: 'At this point, when maximum condemnation of Putin is required, the voice of Reform is conspicuously absent in any of our discussions and any of our defence debates about Ukraine and about Russia.'
A Downing Street spokesperson said: 'The process for appointments to the House of Lords follows established conventions and is guided by advice from the House of Lords Appointments Commission and other relevant bodies.
'While political parties may make representations regarding peerage nominations, decisions are made in line with long-standing procedures.'
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