The SNP has criticised reported plans by Keir Starmer to appoint around 25 new Labour peers before Christmas, calling the move an anti democratic waste of public money and a direct contradiction of promises made before the general election.
Keir Starmer previously pledged to restore trust in politics by abolishing the House of Lords, but reports in the Guardian suggest he is now preparing to expand it further with a list said to include senior Labour advisers, former party officials and outgoing union leaders.
The exposé named figures such as Katie Martin, formerly Chief of Staff to Rachel Reeves, former Downing Street Director of Communications Matthew Doyle, Labour aide Carol Linforth and several union representatives among those reported to be under consideration.
SNP MP Pete Wishart said the proposals highlight a deeper problem with an institution that has become increasingly out of step with modern democracy.
SNP MP Pete Wishart said:
“Keir Starmer doesn’t need to appoint more members of the House of Lords, he needs to scrap it all together.
“Before the election, Keir Starmer promised to abolish the Lords, but just like the rest of his promises, it’s come to nothing.
“The Lords is now so bloated it is second only in size to the People’s Congress of China, and costs UK taxpayers more than £200 million a year.
“The number of party figures in this rumoured list shows this is just more jobs for the boys from Labour.
“The only way for Scotland to move beyond the anti democratic House of Lords is by Scotland becoming an independent country.”
The criticism adds to growing debate over whether an unelected chamber with hundreds of appointed members can hold legitimacy in a modern political system, particularly when public finances are under pressure and political trust is strained.
