Labour’s big Sunday headline was their plan to abolish the House of Lords to “restore trust in politics”. The idea to replace the Lords with an elected upper chamber was pitched to contrast the party with successive Tory governments “handing peerages to ‘lackeys and donors'”. 

Ignoring the fact that Blair put hundreds of Labour-supporting peers in the Lords and subsequently faced the Cash-for-Honours scandal – Sir Keir’s railing against lifelong jobs for mates looks pretty odd. Since taking over as Labour leader, he’s seen 18 Labour supporters into the upper house…

31 July 2020

• Kathryn Clark, Baroness Clark of Kilwinning – former Labour MSP and MP
• Bryn Davies, Baron Davies of Brixton – former Labour GLC member
• Susan Hayman, Baroness Hayman of Ullock – failed Labour MEP candidate, ex-Labour MP
• Prem Sikka, Baron Sikka – policy advisor for Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell
• Tony Woodley, Baron Woodley – former general secretary of Unite

22 December 2020

• Judith Blake, Baroness Blake of Leeds – former Labour leader of Leeds City Council, mother of Labour MP Olivia Blake
• Jenny Chapman, Baroness Chapman of Darlington – former shadow Brexit minister, former Labour MP
• Vernon Coaker, Baron Coaker – former Labour MP
• Wajid Khan, Baron Khan of Burnley –former Labour MEP
• Gillian Merron, Baroness Merron –former Labour MP

14 October 2022

• Sonny Leong, Baron Leong – long-time Labour activist, co-founder of SME4Labour
• Frances O’Grady – general secretary of the TUC
• David Prentis, Baron Prentis of Leeds – former general secretary of UNISON
• Kuldip Singh Sahota, Baron Sahota – former Labour councillor
• Ruth Smeeth, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent – former Labour MP
• Sharon Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage – former Labour councillor
• Fiona Twycross, Baroness Twycross – former Labour London Assembly member
• Tom Watson – former Labour deputy leader

This represents twice the number of new peers installed under Jeremy Corbyn, who himself gave chums like Shami Chakrabarti the ermine robes.

We also recently learnt that Rosie Cooper, who in September said she was going to resign as an MP, is refusing to stand down while she tries to secure a peerage. More than the Lords hypocrisy, Guido reckons Remainer-in-Chief Starmer will have a hard time restoring trust in politics with constitutional reform after his years of attempted Brexit-blocking…