House Of Lords Reform

EDM number 800 in 2004-05, proposed by David Clelland on 28/02/2005.

That this House believes that a partly elected second chamber would be an unsustainable hybrid and would inevitably lead to a fully elected chamber and that an elected second chamber could not guarantee the spread of experience, knowledge, background, gender and ethnicity required for a chamber dedicated to the scrutiny and advisory role hitherto considered appropriate for a reformed House of Lords; further believes that a second chamber should add value to our system of governance and be more representative and more effective and that these qualities can be achieved without producing a whole new batch of elected politicians; and believes that the cobbled together proposals outlined in the recently published Second Chamber of Parliament Bill are a disappointing response to the opportunity that now presents itself.

This motion has been signed by a total of 35 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.