Lords Committee criticises Boris Johnson for swelling the upper chamber with Tory peers

Amid the plethora of scandals, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson is being scrutinised for swelling the size of the British House of Lords. A report from The House of Lords Committee accused Johnson of enabling political imbalance in the makeup of the upper chamber of the house, Sky News reported. The committee accused Johnson of appointing 'too many' of his peers and showcasing 'no interest' in trying to reduce the number. The number at the upper chamber has witnessed a sharp rise in recent years. According to Sky News, the size of the House of Lords has now reached 824 as of now. 

The scrutiny follows a plan to manage the size of the Lords in 2017. Under the plan, it was suggested to follow the one-in and two-out system. This means for every two people leaving the chamber only one will be appointed. While Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May abided by the rule and made significant progress in 2019, it all went downhill since Boris assumed power. "Prime Minister Boris Johnson showed no interest in the issue of the size of the House," the committee report stated. “While the number of departures from the House continued to be broadly in line with our benchmarks, the number of appointments far exceeded them and they were granted predominantly to members of his own party,” it furthered. 

A huge disparity in the House’s make-up

The report expressed concern over the rate of appointments in recent years. The committee elaborated that despite 175 deaths or departures, over 168 new members were added to the chamber. If the one-in, two-out formula would have been followed the number would have been 88. Instead, 88 conservative peers alone have been added which ultimately caused a shakeup in the make-up of the house. The report noted that the  House of Lords Appointments Commission rejected more than half of Johnsons' initial nominees and raised concerns over the party balance in the lords, Sky News reported. Meanwhile, the peers from the labour party currently make up just over 20 per cent of the House of Lords. The number is still under 30 per cent if independent candidates are added. 

Meanwhile, the committee recommended establishing a cap on the membership of the Lords which is currently unlimited. It also suggested establishing a fixed term of service and made it clear that hereditary peers still entering Lords are incompatible with the modern age. "We must now learn from the problems we have seen over the past six years which, if they were to continue, could see the House becoming even bigger than now,” The chair of the Lord Speaker's Committee on the size of the House, Lord Burns asserted. "The political leadership should focus initially on putting in place a sustainable and fair method of allocating appointments. This will set the basis for a cap and a sustainable reduction in the size of the House,” he added.