Report calls for largely elected House of Lords

A parliamentary report out today has recommended reform to the House of Lords to make the upper chamber largely elected.

The all-party report calls for 80 per cent of members of the House of Lords to be elected, with 20 per cent nominated.

Members would be elected every five years and serve non-renewable 15-year terms.

The report also recommends that a referendum be held on reforming the Lords.

Although Prime Minister David Cameron is not in favour of a referendum on the issue, he supports a largely elected second chamber.

It would, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “strengthen our Parliament and strengthen the House of Lords”.

"One of the reasons Lords reform never goes ahead is that, although there is a majority for it in the Commons and the three main political favours are in favour, all the parties are split on it. That is the fact." he said.

"So the only way it can happen is if all the parties agree to work together, rationally, reasonably, sensibly on trying to deliver what I think the British public would see as, not a priority, but a perfectly sensible reform that we have people legislating in the House of Lords who are elected by right."