UCL in the News: Ending the patronage of peerages

Meg Russell (UCL Political Science), Guardian Blogs The House of Commons public administration select committee (PASC) has today proposed a package of sensible reforms in response to the "cash for honours" crisis, which engulfed Tony Blair in the last year of his premiership.

Gordon Brown has a lot to gain from embracing these proposals, and potentially a lot to lose if he chooses to ignore them. …

A recent survey by the Constitution Unit at UCL found that 70% of peers feel trust in the appointments process is "very important" to the legitimacy of the House of Lords. An Ipsos Mori poll found 76% of the public said the same. …

The committee's proposals are sensible and minimalist. The key suggestion is that the independent appointments commission be given discretion to choose well-qualified candidates from among longlists put forward by the political parties. This would separate the granting of peerages from those who may be the recipients of donations. The commission would also be given the task of deciding how many peers are created and when, and of ensuring that the balance between the parties in new appointments is fair, rather than these decisions resting with the prime minister. …

The PASC has called for a bill to implement its proposals, and caution by ministers is understandable. Until broad agreement can be reached, any bill on the subject could be easily derailed, and a minimalist bill would be taken as a sign that the government was not serious about maximal reform. …