Labour now largest party in Lords

13 April 2012

The Government today announced 27 new working peers, 16 of them Labour, making it the largest party in the House of Lords for the first time.

The list includes 16 Labour, six Conservative and five Liberal Democrat nominations. That makes the state of the parties in the Upper House: Labour 214, Conservative 211 and Liberal Democrat 74.

Former Tory and Labour Cabinet ministers feature on the list, including ex-education secretary Estelle Morris. Among ex-MPs are Labour's Tony Banks and a clutch of former Commons committee chairmen.

Ex-Labour Cabinet ministers Jack Cunningham and Chris Smith become barons, as do ex-ministers George Foulkes, Alan Howarth and Lewis Moonie.

Also among the Labour nominations are former MPs Irene Adams, Lynda Clark, former Parliamentary Labour Party chairmen Clive Soley and Jean Corston, and ex-chief whip Ann Taylor.

The outgoing chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Donald Anderson joins the Lords, as does ex-Trade and Industry chair Martin O'Neill and catering committee chairman Dennis Turner.

A former chief whip when the party was in opposition, Derek Foster, also becomes a Lord.

Among the Tories are former health secretary Virginia Bottomley, ex-education secretary Gillian Shephard, ex-chief whip Alastair Goodlad and one-time transport secretary and Tory chairman Sir Brian Mawhinney, along with former attorney general Sir Nicholas Lyell.

Their sixth peer is former armed forces minister Sir Archie Hamilton. The Lib Dem nominations include former international development spokesman Jenny Tongue - who was fired from the front bench by Charles Kennedy for comments appearing to sympathise with Palestinian suicide bombers.

Former party chief whip Sir Archie Kirkwood also becomes a peer, as does veteran MP Paul Tyler, who was the party's spokesman on House of Commons matters.

Ex-Eastleigh Lib Dem MP David Chidgey, an industry spokesman for the party, and former Cheltenham MP Nigel Jones - hurt in an horrific sword attack which left a colleague dead - complete the party's new Lords.

The Government has proposed changes to the way the Lords scrutinises legislation, suggesting a 60-day limit on the amount of time a measure can be debated in the Upper House.

But it has yet to come forward with any plans to complete the modernisation of the Lords.

Although today's list will boost Labour's standing, Prime Minister Tony Blair is braced for more battles with the Upper House over controversial measures such as ID cards.

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