Gordon Brown has said the prime minister should lose the power to appoint new members to the House of Lords.
He appeared to welcome the conclusions of the Commons public administration committee, which said on Wednesday that an independent appointments commission should pick new peers.
The MPs said that as well as the prime minister surrendering his power, political parties should publish a full list of the nominees they put forward.
The appointments commission would then choose from the "long lists" in a transparent process.
Brown, speaking at his regular press conference on Wednesday morning, said: "I don't think the prime minister should have the final say over these matters."
"I think if appointments are being made to the Lords, of course, all parties will make their recommendations, but it is right that two tests be applied not just one test.
"The first test ought to be probity and that test should be met in all circumstances; and the second test is what is in the public interest.
"There are individuals who may be very good but the public interest may suggest that other individuals should be chosen.
"I've already said that this is a matter where the final decision should be made by an appointments commission on those two criteria.
"I hope that we will go some way to answer the questions that have been raised in recent years which I believe that, with all-party support, we should be in a position to answer at some stage."
At present the House of Lords appointments commission vets party nominees for propriety, but not for suitability to sit in the House - something it does consider for non-party nominees.
Newspaper reports on Wednesday suggested that ministers plan to publish a white paper on Lords reform in the spring, but will not follow the committee's recommendations to immediately remove powers of patronage.
