Tory chairman James Cleverly confirms House of Lords move may be on the cards
The Conservatives’ party chairman has confirmed the government is considering a proposal to permanently move the House of Lords to York.
The Sunday Times reported today that Boris Johnson has begun a review into the feasibility of the move, with disused land already identified as a potential location.
Another initiative under discussion is holding House of Commons debates in different parts of the country.
The proposals can be seen as a part of the Tories’ efforts to cement recent electoral gains in traditional Labour strongholds in the North.
Speaking on Sky News this morning, Conservative party chairman James Cleverly confirmed the government was considering moving the Lords to York.
“What we’re looking at is a whole range of options, making sure that every part of the UK feels properly connected to politics,” he said.
“Fundamentally, whats it about is demonstrating to people we are going to do things differently and that the Labour Party lost millions of voters because they failed to listen.
“When the PM stood up the day after the election and said it would be the people’s government, he meant it.”
It comes as Jeremy Corbyn is set to nominate former speaker John Bercow to sit in the House of Lords.
Bercow was the first speaker in centuries to not be awarded life peerage by the government after resigning his position.
The snub was seen as a rebuke to his perceived partisanship over Brexit while in the speaker’s chair.
It is unclear whether Bercow, who is a former Tory MP, will sit in the Lords as a Labour or crossbench peer.
The Sunday Times also reported that ex-deputy Labour leader Tom Watson and Corbyn’s chief of staff Karie Murphy will also be given life peerages as a part of the opposition leader’s resignation nominations.