Proposals to abolish House of Lords to be unveiled

UK: Proposals to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a 300-strong, wholly-elected second chamber are to be unveiled by British government ministers in a key political move ahead of the general election, according to a report by The Sunday Telegraph.

The report said Justice Secretary Jack Straw has been consulting cabinet colleagues on a blueprint that would represent the biggest change to the way Britain is governed for several decades.

The proposals, which have been leaked to The Sunday Telegraph and are expected to be announced soon, would sweep away centuries of tradition and set ministers on a collision course with the 704-member House of Lords, which is resolutely opposed to having elected members.

Under the government’s proposal, members of the new chamber could be subject to a U.S.-style “recall ballot,” which would disqualify them for incompetence. The plans would see all members directly elected, ending the system of party patronage, the paper said.

The report said that the proposal by the Labour government is in an attempt to wrong-foot the Conservatives with the polling day less than two months away.

Labour’s plan is to provoke elements within the Conservative Party to object to the reforms, which would allow it to paint David Cameron (the Conservative leader) as wedded to old ideas of privilege, said the report.

London, Monday, Xinhua