Blair to launch new war on the Lords

Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson / London Telegraph | April 1 2006

Tony Blair is preparing the biggest assault on the powers of the House of Lords for more than 50 years after a series of bruising battles with peers over Labour reforms.

The Government plans to change the law to prevent the Upper Chamber blocking legislation that has been passed by the Commons.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, said the powers of the Lords should be curtailed as part of a wider package of reforms that could include the creation of a mainly-elected Upper Chamber.

"The right position for the Lords is that it should scrutinise, it should amend legislation to give the Commons the opportunity to think again but. . . then it should give way.

"I want there to be clarity about the circumstances in which the Lords gives way. In real terms the political decisions on the big issues need to be made by the Commons."

The move - which would significantly alter the balance of power between the Commons and the Lords - will put the Government on collision course with peers.

Until now, the Upper Chamber has abided by the Salisbury Convention that it does not block legislation if it has been included in the ruling party's manifesto.

The new measure would prevent the Lords rejecting any proposed laws - such as ID cards, anti-terrorism proposals or schools reform - the Government deemed important.

The proposal is designed to reassure MPs, who fear that a reformed Lords will threaten the supremacy of the Commons.

Lord Falconer said a "hybrid house" - including both elected and appointed peers - was the most likely way forward and so the relationship between the Commons and the Lords had to be clarified. "If you have a significant elected element, legitimacy will be claimed by the Lords.

"MPs want primacy of the Commons and they want there to be clarity about what the Lords can and cannot do."

He added: "We would be incredibly unwise to introduce anything that simply promoted conflict between the two Houses when there was no real means of resolving it, it would gravely weaken the effectiveness of our constitutional arrangements."

Ministers also want to impose a 60-day limit on the amount of time peers can spend on a Bill.

"That would stop the Lords threatening the whole legislative programme because they take a different view to the Commons on something like hunting," Lord Falconer said.

The Government intends to give MPs a vote on the composition of the Lords this year. The proposed legislation will deal with the powers of the Upper Chamber as well.

Lord Falconer is holding talks with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to try to reach a consensus.

But Whitehall sources said the Government would be willing to use the Parliament Act to force through proposals if no agreement can be reached.

Lord Strathclyde, the Opposition leader in the Lords, said the Tories would resist any attempt to emasculate the Upper Chamber.

"Why would anybody want to be elected to a body that's nothing more than a rubber stamp for Mr Blair's controlled House of Commons?" he said.

"This whole process should be about strengthening Parliament not weakening it."

Mr Blair wants to complete Lords reform before standing down as Prime Minister.

Lord Falconer admitted that the "cash for peerages" row had damaged all parties.

"Because of those confidence issues, there need to be changes in the way the parties are financed and there needs to be Lords reform," he said.

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