Sir Keir Starmer hints he could make Tony Blair and Gordon Brown peers

After vowing to axe the Lords Keir Starmer has hinted he could make former Labour PMs Tony Blair and Gordon Brown peers

Starmer said ‘of course’ he wants to look into making the Labour grandees peers
It comes after he promised to abolish the House of Lords when in government

Keir Starmer has hinted he could appoint Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to the House of Lords to help serve a future Labour government.

The leader was criticised this week after senior party figures confirmed plans to pack the Lords so they outnumber the Tories in the upper chamber in the event Labour win at the next general election.

This was despite a promise to abolish the Lords when in government.

Yesterday Sir Keir said he ‘of course’ wants to talk to Labour grandees – including the two former prime ministers – about becoming peers.

But a Tory spokesman said: ‘Labour’s dodgy dealings know no limits. After denying an honours list, Slippery Starmer is plotting to stuff the Lords full of his cronies, including Tony “open borders” Blair and Gordon “sold the gold” Brown.

Keir Starmer (pictured) has hinted he could appoint Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to the House of Lords to help serve a future Labour government

Yesterday Sir Keir said he ‘of course’ wants to talk to Labour grandees – including the two former prime ministers – about becoming peers. Pictured: Sir Tony Blair

‘Starmer will say or do anything as long as the politics suits him. He cannot be trusted.’

Sir Keir told Times Radio: ‘There is a mismatch. We’ve got far less peers than the Conservatives and obviously we need to get the business of government through.

‘But this is not some developed plan. I have not discussed it with anyone. Do I want to talk to Tony Blair and to Gordon Brown, who were the last leaders that achieved that switch from opposition into government for a Labour party? Of course I do.’

It was Mr Brown’s constitutional review, unveiled in December, that recommended the abolition of the Lords.

Labour have tried to reform the upper chamber several times. Under Mr Blair, the party removed the majority of hereditary peers and set up a commission to look at proposals to replace the Lords.

Sir Keir said his party would abolish the ‘indefensible’ House of Lords and ‘replace it with an elected chamber that has a really strong mission’.

It was Mr Brown’s constitutional review, unveiled in December, that recommended the abolition of the Lords. Pictured: Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown

But Labour appeared to row back on the promise this week, suggesting it was necessary to appoint up to 100 peers to get party policy through both Houses.

Sir Keir’s official spokesman said: ‘Every government looks to make appointments to the House of Lords but it’s not done in one fell swoop, it takes time and often takes more than a term in government.’

There are currently 779 members in the Lords, with 263 Tory members and 174 Labour.

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