No Lords reform this parliament

Jack Straw has told MPs they have a chance to "finish the job" of reforming the House of Lords, while ruling out legislation in this parliament.

Giving a statement to the House of Commons, the justice secretary proposed further cross-party talks with a view to putting concrete plans for reform into Labour's next general election manifesto.

Straw recapped events in March, when Parliament voted on reform. MPs then backed turning the Lords into a wholly-elected house by a majority of 113.

A proposal for an 80 per cent elected and 20 per cent appointed second chamber was backed by a majority of 38.

The Lords then voted to back an entirely appointed chamber, as at present, by a majority of 240.

Straw said the prime minister had made it clear that Parliament should proceed in line with the wishes of the Commons, not the Lords.

And he said the government was committed to removing the remaining hereditary peers, "in line with the will of this house".

He said he would continue to lead cross-party talks to discuss the "outstanding elements of the reform package", but said the eventual package would be based on the principle that Commons is the primary chamber.

Straw said he hoped to publish a further white paper - the last was produced in February - by the turn of the year, with concrete proposals in Labour's next manifesto.

He added he hoped the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats would also include the reform package in their manifestos.

Straw said the issue had "dogged the country for decades". "And Mr Speaker, we now have a chance, finally, to finish the job," he said.

Shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert asked if the real message of Straw's statement was not that reform is not "on ice until after the next election".