According to the party’s statement, Labour will abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a “new, reformed upper house.”
In the first term of a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer stated to Labour peers that he wished to deprive politicians of the authority to select individuals for the chamber.
The party’s upcoming manifesto is expected to confirm its plans.
The second chamber would continue to be used for reviewing and amending new laws rather than forming governments or establishing budgets, Sir Keir also told peers, adding that there was strong support for reforming the House of Lords and that any new chamber should be elected by voters rather than fellow politicians.
With warnings that the membership has increased excessively to 784 sitting members, the size and function of the House of Lords have come under scrutiny in recent years.
Other peerages granted by former prime ministers, such as Boris Johnson, have drawn criticism, particularly the peerage of Lord Lebedev.
Despite receiving a life peerage in 2020, the media mogul and son of a former KGB agent have only made one speech on the House floor.
Additionally, Mr Johnson has been accused of suggesting various Conservative MPs for peerages while advising them to put off accepting them to avoid calling by-elections.
Following the admission that the upper house is “too large” by several peers from various political perspectives, plans to change the House of Lords’ appointment procedure are one step closer to becoming legislation.
The House of Lords (Peerage Nominations) Bill, which would compel the prime minister to wait until a panel advises on whether a nominated person satisfied specific criteria to be granted a peerage, passed its first reading on Friday.
Sir Keir has previously spoken about his intentions to remove the upper chamber.
His remarks also reaffirm concepts that were included in a study of the UK constitution under the direction of the previous prime minister, Gordon Brown.
The plans also supported increasing devolution, which is the transfer of authority and decision-making from the federal government to state and local governments.
