Bishop critical of Lords plans

The coalition used Wednesday’s Queen’s Speech to pledge to “reform the composition” of the Lords so that most members were elected in future.

However, the Right Reverend Justin Welby, whose role as Bishop of Durham entitles him to a Lords seat, said it was unclear how the plans would work.

He said: “It’s clear they’re incredibly imprecise.

“The Government hasn’t said how they’re going to reform it (the Lords) or what that reform would be.

“The word around the corridors is it is still very much up in the air what this is going to look like, but they’re moving towards a referendum.”

Bishop Welby said the Lords needed reform and an allappointed House could not continue.

But he added: “It needs to be a reform that works – that doesn’t challenge the House of Commons.”

Any major reform should be put to a national referendum, he said.

The former financier who, after being installed as bishop last November said he would use his place in the Lords to raise important North-East issues on a national stage and be an advocate for the region, also defended the work of the Lords Spiritual – the 26 Church of England bishops in the Lords.

He said they had a contribution to make because they were locally based and “very close to the ground” through being “joined at the hip” to parish priests.

Last year, ministers published draft plans to cut the Lords to 300 members, with 80 per cent elected from 2015. However, Wednesday’s legislative programme included no specific proposals.

Lords reform is widely seen as being pushed by Liberal Democrat ministers, while Conservatives see it as a distraction.

Labour supports a fully elected Lords and wants a referendum, but says it is not a priority.

Lord Bates, the former Teesside MP and now Conservative Party deputy chairman, who lives in Durham, said a fully elected chamber was needed as the public wanted its lawmakers to be accountable, but the proposal should be put to a referendum.