Lee Anderson has revealed the real reason behind Labour’s dramatic U-turn on the House of Lords. In the last 24 hours, Keir Starmer’s party has decided not to abolish the Lords if they come into government.
The U-turn on the Lords is one of two incredible volte faces in just 24 hours by Sir Keir Starmer who is also being roundly mocked for ditching his much vaunting but unaffordable £28 billion green deal plan.
But ex-Conservative Party Chairman Mr Anderson, who until 2018 was a Labour activist and councillor before becoming the hero of the Tory right as an MP, believes he knows what lies behind Starmer’s decision to keep the unelected peers including its 26 Church of England bishops led by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in place.
Just last month the peers blocked the legislation the govrnment is pushing through to allow deportations of illegal migrants to Rwanda.
It follows “woke” peers slowing down and attempting to block laws on reducing the impact of strikes, other illegal immigration measures and criminal justice reform.
A Labour source has said there is no need to abolish the House of Lords “because they are doing a good job”.
Mr Anderson reacted: “Well they [peers] are doing a good job. They are doing a good job for the Labour Party and a bad one for the country.
“They are doing their best to stop laws going through which will help secure our borders. They are serving the interests of the Labour Party and thwarting the will of the people.
“So of course Labour wants to keep them in place now.”
Reform of the Lords had been the central plank of Starmer’s attempts to reform the constitution of the UK in what some believe was “unfinished work” by Tony Blair.
Former Home secretary Suella Braverman and former Home Office minister Robert Jenrick, who resigned because he did not think the Rwanda legislation was tough enough, who both had to stuggle with the Lords attempting to cupper Bills agreed.
Asked if she thought Labour had changed its mind because peers had blocked Rwanda, Ms Braverman said: “I would not be surprised.”
Mr Jenrick said: “The makeup [of the Lords] is pretty sympathetic to Labour as we’ve seen on illegal migration.
“Labour don’t have any plans to reform welfare, tackle illegal migration, crack down on extremism or protests, stop strikes, moderate net zero so it’s hard to see the bishops or cross benchers causing them any trouble, it will be their dream government.”
Various Labour sources have suggested they may still look at the 92 hereditory peers but that House of Lords reform is “not a priority” in what they expect to be a busy first term in office.
Starmer had got former Prime Minister Gordon Brown to consider constitutional issues in a report which also included recommendations on expanding devolution.
