As if we needed further persuading why the UK Honours System needs reform, the announcement on Friday (9 February) of the creation of thirteen new life peers, including a party political donor/ fundraiser, gave us that proof. And was it coincidence that the announcement happened to coincide with the start of Parliament's February recess?

There have been several committees set up to review the House of Lords, in particular, to reduce, not increase, its size. The current system allows for the government of the day to create legions of new peers from its supporters to improve its voting strength in the House. This does not read like democracy to me!

As Dr Robert Saunders, Co-Director of Mile End Institute and Reader in Modern British History, wrote in his blog post entitled 'Should the House of Lords be reformed or abolished?' (27 August 2020): "Over time,...the problems of a chamber stocked by prime ministerial patronage have become harder to ignore. The 'good sense of the prime minister' has proven a fragile defence against leaders willing to appoint their siblings, drinking buddies and financial donors as legislators for life." 

I am thrilled to see that this petition to review the Honours System has today broken 54,000 signatures. Keep sharing and thanks to all who have signed so far. We have this!