Lords must now be reformed

THE nomination of a peerage to Tory donor Peter Cruddas by Prime Minister Boris Johnson (“Johnson facing ‘cronyism’ storm after appointing Tory donor as life peer”, The Herald, December 23), exemplifies the huge failings in the British political system.

Mr Cruddas, and I am sure it is a mere coincidence, has donated £3.3 million to the Conservatives, including a £658,000 gift since Mr Johnson became Prime Minister. He resigned as Tory co-treasurer in 2012 after he offered reporters access to Prime Minister David Cameron in exchange for a £250,000 donation.

In August, Russian newspaper owner and a friend of Mr Johnson, Evgeny Lebedev, was handed a peerage by Mr Johnson and bizarrely became Baron Lebedev of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond on Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation. Mr Johnson also awarded a peerage to his own brother at the same time.

There are now 830 unelected lawmakers lounging on the red benches, despite a Lords committee recommending this number be capped at 600. Many of these flunkies and cronies pick up £300 a day in expenses, often doing very little as members of what is in essence a publiclyfunded private club.

This yet again further illustrates why the House of Lords, which stands out as a bizarre anomaly in nearly all western democracies, needs urgent radical reform – which of course will not be forthcoming. In this festive season turkeys, as they say, do not vote for Christmas.

Lawmakers should not be appointed through the patronage of the Prime Minister or by accident of birth but elected by us, the people.

Alex Orr, Edinburgh EH9.

THE Prime Minister is accused of cronyism for pushing the peerage of Peter Cruddas despite objections by the Appointments Commission. Well fancy that ... a Tory PM adding another of his chums to the gravy train that is the 830-plus-member, unelected upper chamber. Whatever next? It appears he has bolstered this exclusive superannuation club by some 52 new bodies this year.

For the life of me I cannot understand any surprise at this outrageous abuse of power given his track record.

The idea of having an unelected upper chamber of such a bloated

size is an affront to democracy and it must be changed. The United States, with a population some four times the size of the UK, manages with a mere 100 elected members of its upper chamber. However, given the naked self-interest oozing from this Government and its cronies I will not be holding my breath. Forbes M Dunlop,

Glasgow G13.