Labour to make Lords retire at 80 to cut numbers in unelected chamber

Credit: PA

The new Labour government is to make members of House of Lords retire at the age of 80 in a bid to reduce the number of people in the unelected chamber.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to the age cap in Labour's manifesto, to try and phase out people who have inherited their positions.

The Labour leader has previously promised he would abolish the House of Lords entirely, replacing it with a chamber of elected members.

Speaking in 2022, Starmer described the House of Lords as '"indefensible", and promised "the biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people".

But this pledge has been watered down for now, with Labour promising to "modernise" the Lords, by removing "the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords."

The manifesto reads: "At the end of the Parliament in which a member reaches 80 years of age, they will be required to retire from the House of Lords."

Joe Biden has faced huge criticism from opponents and his own party over his age and mental capabilities. Credit: PA

Starmer refused to say on Wednesday whether his views on the age limit for peers reflected on the age of President Joe Biden, who he is meeting for the first time at the Nato summit.

"It doesn't reflect on how other elected representatives are chosen in other countries, it’s to do with the size of the House of Lords", he told reporters during the flight to Washington for the his first international trip as PM.

"In terms of the age in the House of Lords, the simple fact is that our House of Lords is massive. It’s the second biggest political chamber in the world. I think it’s only the Chinese who have a bigger political chamber than our House of Lords, we have to reduce it.

"That is the primary driver of the retirement at 80. You can see why that needs to be done. We’ve got 800-plus members of the House of Lords, it’s simply too big. We need to reduce it", Starmer insisted.

In recent weeks, Biden has faced calls from some Democrats to withdraw from November's US presidential election, owing to his head-to-head debate performance against Donald Trump.

But in a letter to congressional democrats earlier on Monday, the 81-year-old dismissed calls for him to drop out.

World leaders are gathering in Washington DC ahead of the 75th Nato summit. In Washington, Starmer will meet Biden at the summit before having a one-to-one conversation in the White House.

Starmer told reporters: “I’ve already had a phone call with President Biden.

“I want to follow up on that, this is obviously a very special relationship we have between the UK and the US."

The Labour manifesto does promise to ultimately replace the Lords, but doesn't give a time frame.

"Labour is committed to replacing the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. Labour will consult on proposals, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them", it reads.

There are currently 784 sitting members of the Lords, and an age cap would disproportionately affect Labour peers, who are on average older than those of other parties.

The PM spoke to reporters on the flight to Washington

The cap would mean a number of senior Lords would be removed, including Labour's Lord Dubs, a former MP who fled to the UK as a child from the Nazis.

The key role of the Lords is to scrutinise and shape laws, and to challenge the work of the government.

Most peers are appointed by the King after being recommended by the prime minister.

There are currently 92 hereditary peers allowed to sit in the House of Lords, but more than 800 across the UK.

The last Labour government in 1997 got rid of most of them, but struck a deal allowing 92 to remain, with a view to getting rid of them altogether.

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