the government has appointed 30 new Labour peers including a string of ex-MPs and Sir Keir Starmer loyalists.
The prime minister’s former chief of staff Sue Gray has also been handed a seat in the House of Lords, confirming reports earlier in the week.
It comes only two months after she left her role as the prime minister’s chief of staff, amid internal rows over her influence.
The Conservatives appointed six new peers including former deputy prime minister Therese Coffey and Toby Young, the associate editor of The Spectator and son of former Labour peer Lord Michael Young. The Lib Dems have appointed two peers.
In 2022, Labour said it planned to abolish the 805-member Lords, replacing it with a “new, reformed upper chamber”.
But this was watered down before July’s election, with Labour committing to consult on plans for an alternative second chamber, whilst immediately axing the 92 places for hereditary peers and introducing a retirement age of 80.
The party also vowed to introduce new rules on participation, and a new process to make it easier to remove “disgraced” peers.
The Conservatives have the most peers, with 273, whilst Labour has 187 and the Liberal Democrats have 78.
There are also 184 “crossbench” peers who are not aligned to any party.
