The public must have their say on House of Lords reform
The House of Lords (Alamy)
4 min read
The House of Lords has debated reform for a century. Now it is the public’s turn.
When I introduced a bill to give the public their say on reforming the House of Lords, peers objected to it before it had even had the chance to be debated. Has there ever been a better display of why we so desperately need reform?
This is not the first time I have encountered resistance since I took up my seat as the youngest peer. I have consistently advocated for all peers, including myself, to be put out of a job so the public can be better served.
The House of Lords is the largest second chamber in the world. It is entirely unelected and with over 800 members – compared to 650 MPs in the House of Commons – it means that more of our legislature is unelected than elected. Insulation from the public from no elections is glazed over. There is much genuine, insightful work done by my colleagues. However, we have the opportunity for great influence over legislation which impacts the public with no requirement to ever answer to them.
The debate on reforming the Lords began in the preamble to the Parliament Act (1911). Tony Blair significantly reduced the size of the House by abolishing the majority of hereditary peers, and this work was completed in 2025 under Keir Starmer.
However, the government were elected on a manifesto that promised more. They explicitly promised an alternative second chamber which represents our regions and nations via consultation. The work to make this change has stalled as there is no committed timetable for consulting on how our communities can be better represented in the Lords.
We have heard clearly from Prime Minister Andy Burnham that he believes in moving power into communities. The establishment of No. 10 North was a reminder of this. However, despite these overtures, one of the institutions making laws for all corners of the UK remains egregiously geographically unrepresentative; March 2026 data shows that an estimated 45 per cent of peers (of those who declare their addresses) are registered in London or the South East. We are made richer by all of our regions and nations. If the government won’t take the initiative in their own manifesto, someone must.
I have introduced a bill into the Lords, which had its second reading on Friday, to force the government on their promises. The bill would force a consultation period within six months on reform of the House. It would involve devolved and local governments, constitutional experts and civil society. Crucially, the process would also involve the public. The House of Lords consistently spends an awful lot of time debating itself, but the public have never been given an opportunity to weigh in. Given that only 16 per cent of the public believe the House should continue in its current state, it is past time for the public to have their say.
The Lords is not only lacking in geographic representation but also in representation across different ages, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I grew up in Anglesey, and I see too few people from backgrounds like mine on the parliamentary estate. If the public had their say on reforming the Lords, we might see a chamber that represents everyone within our communities.
There are many disagreements about the constitutional future of the United Kingdom. Plaid Cymru supports Welsh independence, but there are advocates for federalism, greater devolution and those who prioritise the preservation of the Union. These disagreements make the importance of public engagement in reform more important, not less; as long as decisions made by Peers affect Wales, Welsh people should have a say in the running of the institution. There is no universal agreement on reforming the House of Lords and my bill does not propose one. It does, however, give action to the increasing, cross-party sentiment that something must be done.
If we are confident in the value of a second chamber, we should have nothing to fear from asking the public what they want that to look like. After more than a century of arguments about reform, surely that is not too much to ask.
Baroness Smith of Llanfaes is a Plaid Cymru peer
