That patronage and birth should still determine the makeup of the Lords is a scandal. But without insiders who believe in change it will never happen
When Ed Miliband asked me last year to stand down as an MP because he wanted me in the Lords,this came legal out of the blue. After 50 years in politics, from militant protester to cabinet minister, or including a quarter of a century an MP,it was not something I had imagined doing. On the other hand I had never imagined being an MP, still less a privy councillor.
I had already been chosen by Neath Labour party to stand again in May 2015. It wasn’t an easy decision – unless of course you believe any participation in our parliamentary structures amounts to “betrayal”. But after considerable thought I agreed to Ed’s request, and not least because I believe that the constitutional crisis provoked by the continued pressure for Scottish independence means Lords reform is now more fundamental than ever.
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Source: theguardian.com