STARMER TO NOMINATE 19 LABOUR PEERS BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE

Downing Street has defended the nomination of individuals for peerages as "normal practice" for prime ministers, following reports that Sir Keir Starmer intends to recommend 19 new Labour peers for the House of Lords before leaving office. According to reports, the Conservative Party has been allocated four nominations and the Liberal Democrats five. A spokesman for the Prime Minister stated that he would not comment on speculation about the nominations but confirmed that recommending individuals for peerages is standard procedure. The nominations would require approval from the House of Lords appointments commission before taking effect.

The reported nominations would bring the total number of peers appointed by Sir Keir to 135 since Labour entered government two years ago. The current House of Lords comprises 774 members, with recorded figures showing the Conservatives holding 246 seats, Labour 216, crossbench peers numbering 156, and Liberal Democrats 74. Before the 2024 general election, Sir Keir argued that the House of Lords should be abolished and stated that honours should be awarded for "public service not Tory cronies". In government, Labour passed the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026, which ended the entitlement of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the chamber.

The government has stated it is "exploring further reform" to the House of Lords, including introducing a participation requirement and retirement age for peers. Long-standing concerns about the size of the upper chamber have prompted calls to reduce its membership, which currently exceeds the 650-seat cap on Members of Parliament.