Lords reform white paper unveiled

The government has set out plans to reform the House of Lords.

Justice secretary Jack Straw told MPs that the government would press ahead with plans to create a wholly or mainly elected second chamber, but not until after the next general election.

Under proposals in the white paper published on Monday, the Lords would be reduced from more than 700 peers to 450.

Hereditary peers would be abolished and the bishops would remain in a mainly, but not fully, elected House.

Last year MPs voted for a 100 per cent or 80 per cent elected House of Lords and under the plans with peers would serve between 12 and 15 years.

"The white paper represents a significant step on the road to reform and is intended to generate further debate and consideration, rather than being a final blueprint for reform," he said.

Straw insisted the government had never intended to pass the legislation this Parliament.

And he said that most policy and decisions would still be made in the Commons.

"With the introduction of elected members into the second chamber, we have to ensure that the mandate of the Commons and the government it sustains continues to hold sway," he said.

"The membership of a reformed second chamber should be such that it could not challenge that mandate."