The House of Lords needs reform - but it’s a good thing that younger peers are providing much-needed diversity

This comes after Charlotte Owen, now at the ripe old age of 30, was nominated by Boris Johnson to become the Baroness of Alderley Edge. Why are we wasting our taxpayers’ money on these youngsters? It would be much better to have some elder statesman, I thought, who can bring their life experience to the important matter of scrutinising our laws. 

But would it actually? We’ve already got quite a few of those clogging up the second chamber - where 70% of members are men and the average age is 71. Philip Hammond and Gavin Barwell, who bring plenty of experience of government and Parliament, hardly have the best attendance record. Smith will also be an unusual peer in the fact that she’s Welsh, nominated by independence party Plaid Cymru, who are underrepresented in our second chamber.

It’s clear the House of Lords needs reform, with the appointment process appearing to be used on occasion to dole out peerages in exchange for party donations or as favours. Michelle Mone, currently suspended, claimed tens of thousands of pounds despite giving minimal input. Labour has promised to turn the unelected chamber into an Assembly of the Nations and Regions, however cautious Keir Starmer could be tempted into another U-turn.

But, ignoring the deficiencies of the House of Lords in its current form, it can only be a good thing that there are more younger voices in our second legislative chamber. We need a diverse range of views and experiences to scrutinise laws, and with most of the chamber old, white men - that’s not currently the case.

How many of current Lords are renters for example, as the Renters Reform Bill is due to be scrutinised soon. How many live in blocks of flats and will understand the importance of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill? Is it appropriate for a body with 70% men to be making decisions on laws on reproductive rights or violence against women and girls? 

I was talking to Labour’s candidate in the Wellingborough by-election, Gen Kitchen, about why she became a councillor at the age of just 22. She said: “I looked around on the council and there was no one that was renting, no one that was in insecure minimum wage employment, there was no one that had the student fees I did and there was no one that genuinely represented me in local politics.”

For too long in politics, young people have been forgotten or ignored. In Rishi Sunak’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference there was nothing aimed at the younger generation. No wonder they’ve become apathetic. A recent poll by Prograd found 43% of the nearly 2,300 Gen Z 18 to 27-year-olds surveyed said that they either would not vote or were unsure whether to do so. 

So by all means criticise the House of Lords or the appointment process, but having more young people in our unelected chamber can only be a good thing.

Ralph Blackburn is NationalWorld’s politics editor based in Westminster, where he gets special access to Parliament, MPs and government briefings. If you liked this article you can follow Ralph on X (Twitter) here and sign up to his free weekly newsletter Politics Uncovered, which brings you the latest analysis and gossip from Westminster every Sunday morning.