As someone who hopes to take his seat as the next MP for Keighley and Ilkley after the next General Election, I maintain a keen interest in what Parliament is up to.
Obviously the elected chamber, the House of Commons, is of greatest interest to me. But the House of Lords also has a very important role to play in our democracy.
Prior to its reform and the removal of all but 92 of the hereditary peers, the Upper House effectively had an inbuilt Conservative majority.
However, the creation of scores of new Labour life peers, first by Tony Blair and more recently by Gordon Brown, has reversed this.
The changes have also altered the atmosphere of the place. It has a harder, more professional edge and the Labour Whips in the Lords are every bit as ruthless in their approach as they are in the Commons.
That is one reason why the ongoing scandal surrounding four Labour peers accused of accepting payments to amend laws is so important, for it goes to the very heart of how that party and this Government conducts itself.
It also goes right to Gordon Brown’s door, not least because one of those accused – Lord Moonie – is a close friend of the Prime Minister and even stood down from his Commons seat at the last General Election in favour of the then Chancellor whose seat was being abolished.
I was therefore pleased to hear that Conservative Leader David Cameron, should he become Prime Minister, would change the law to expel peers found to break the code of ethics.
All politicians – whether they are local councillors or parliamentarians – should be dealt with very harshly if any allegations of corruption against them are found to stick.
And that includes members of the House of Lords.
Obviously the elected chamber, the House of Commons, is of greatest interest to me. But the House of Lords also has a very important role to play in our democracy.
Prior to its reform and the removal of all but 92 of the hereditary peers, the Upper House effectively had an inbuilt Conservative majority.
However, the creation of scores of new Labour life peers, first by Tony Blair and more recently by Gordon Brown, has reversed this.
The changes have also altered the atmosphere of the place. It has a harder, more professional edge and the Labour Whips in the Lords are every bit as ruthless in their approach as they are in the Commons.
That is one reason why the ongoing scandal surrounding four Labour peers accused of accepting payments to amend laws is so important, for it goes to the very heart of how that party and this Government conducts itself.
It also goes right to Gordon Brown’s door, not least because one of those accused – Lord Moonie – is a close friend of the Prime Minister and even stood down from his Commons seat at the last General Election in favour of the then Chancellor whose seat was being abolished.
I was therefore pleased to hear that Conservative Leader David Cameron, should he become Prime Minister, would change the law to expel peers found to break the code of ethics.
All politicians – whether they are local councillors or parliamentarians – should be dealt with very harshly if any allegations of corruption against them are found to stick.
And that includes members of the House of Lords.
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