Basildon baroness: Don't rush Lords reform because of drug scandal

Angela Smith, now Baroness Smith of Basildon, wants considered debate to take place to determine the future of Parliament’s second chamber.

A national campaign for the House of Lords to become elected, rather than appointed, has been launched after Lord Sewel was secretly filmed taking drugs with prostitutes.

Lord Sewel, who had served as Deputy Speaker and chairman of the Standards committee, initially requested a leave of absence from the House, before formally resigning on Tuesday.

The Electoral Reform Society campaign group has called for a fully elected chamber, claiming unelected peers cannot be properly held to account by the public.

Baroness Smith, who was Basildon’s MP for 13 years, said: “I think Lord Sewel has done the right thing to resign and there was dignity in his statement.

“We have argued in the House of Lords for a constitutional convention, as there needs to be reform, but a kneejerk reaction saying ‘off with their heads’ is not useful.

“Debate about its future is necessary, but we have to take into account the work done by the House of Lords.

“Having a second chamber gives the Government breathing space and the chance not to rush things through.”

There are 783 members of the House of Lords, which Baroness Smith believes has been inflated by a large number of recent appointments.

The House has a third more members than when the majority of hereditary peers were removed in 1999 under the Labour government.

Baroness Smith, Labour leader in the Lords, said: “David Cameron has just been adding to the numbers by making appointments year after year.

“I think the way forward is to have a convention looking at the relationship between the Commons, Lords and the devolved parliaments.

“We need to focus more on what the Lords does, and not who does it.

“Every time anybody does something wrong, people want to change the whole system, but we need to be more considered.”