Sensemaker Daily
A significant number of peers take part in House of Lords debates only when they have a declarable interest, Tortoise’s Peer Review reveals.
At least 363 (44 per cent) of members of the upper chamber have spoken on topics in which they have declared a financial or professional interest in the past five years. This is not against the rules – in fact it’s encouraged – but in some cases the frequency poses a tension between public service and private interest.
Since December 2019, more than half of contributions from 17 peers have been to debates in which they have a financial interest. Of this group, 14 have contributed to fewer than 10 debates, while nine have spoken only once or twice, suggesting most of this cohort only ever speak when they have a direct interest.
Lord Hintze, a major Conservative donor, has only contributed to debates six times, but half of those contributions were in relation to his professional interests, which include stakes in at least seven property firms. On one occasion he called the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act “an attack on property rights” and went on to call the Act – which makes it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freeholds – an attack on the UK “as a good place to invest”.
