The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
People put forward for peerages by political parties will require “citations” to support the nomination under new rules introduced by the government as it prepares to introduce reforms to the House of Lords. The citations “summarising why an individual has been put forward” will be collated by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HoLAC) and published for successful candidates, according to Nick Thomas-Symonds, the constitution minister. He also promised to keep the appointments process “under review” as part of wider reforms, which include culling hereditary peers. While limited, the change creates a safeguard that might have prevented some of the peerages announced in recent years. Boris Johnson elevated a string of people, including Charlotte Owen and Kulveer Ranger, without clear reason.
Campaigners had hoped for more. During the election, several leading campaigners for transparency, corruption and better government wrote an open letter setting out seven steps required to restore trust in public life. They included ensuring that appointments to the House of Lords are made on merit, ending the practice of prime ministerial personal patronage and strengthening the independence of the vetting process.
Further reading: Tortoise has published the Peer Review, a visual guide to one of the world’s largest unelected parliamentary chambers.
