Keir Starmer plots end of the peer show for the Tories

It's often claimed that successful the House of Lords "all quality beingness is there".

And the latest database of caller peers includes an Olympic swimmer, and the pistillate who helped Sir Keir Starmer after helium had glitter thrown astatine him astatine a Labour conference.

In a widely-predicted move, the premier curate is sending 25 caller Labour lords and ladies to parliament's precocious location successful a bid to curb a large Tory majority.

The Conservatives have been fixed conscionable three, including Sharron Davies, the women's rights campaigner and Olympic metallic medallist. The Liberal Democrats been been fixed five.

Labour claims that David Cameron appointed 122 peers successful 2 years. Sir Keir, with 62 truthful far, is intelligibly plotting the extremity of the adjacent amusement for the Tories.

The 'club' with a £371-a-day allowance

The caller peers are joining what's been called "the champion nine successful the world", with each the trappings of opulence and luxury, not to notation a £371-a-day attendance allowance.

Even earlier the announcement from Downing Street, the Tories had already condemned the caller appointments arsenic "more cronyism and much reward for failure".

Critics volition constituent to the peerages for Labour Party and authorities rotation doctors, section authorities worthies from London, and a high-profile defector from the Tories.

The Labour staffer rewarded for coming to Sir Keir's rescue aft a glitter onslaught astatine the 2023 Labour league is Carol Linforth, the party's erstwhile operations chief.

The lone large sanction from the concern satellite is simply a arguable choice. Iceland Foods brag Richard Walker was a would-be Tory MP who defected to Labour successful 2023.

But the cronyism complaint arises retired of the peerages for nary less than 5 section authorities figures from London, an ex-MEP and 3 erstwhile Labour rotation doctors.

Matthew Doyle, a Labour spinner nether Alastair Campbell successful the Tony Blair years, returned to No 10 arsenic manager of communications aft moving for Sir Keir successful opposition.

Catherine Macleod, a erstwhile governmental exertion of Glasgow's Herald newspaper, was peculiar advisor to Alistair Darling during his turbulent years arsenic chancellor.

Katie Martin, erstwhile a Downing Street property officer, was latterly main of unit to Rachel Reeves.

"Katie Martin has been my astir trusted advisor for astir 5 years," the chancellor said past month.

Kemi Badenoch's information of Sharron Davies sends a awesome that she powerfully backs her high-profile campaigning connected trans and sex issues.

She becomes the astir high-profile sports prima sent to the Lords since Lord "Beefy" Botham was sent to sound opponents for six by Boris Johnson successful 2020.

Davies spoke astatine this autumn's Conservative league successful Manchester successful a league connected sex issues successful which the sheet was heckled by London Assembly subordinate Andrew Boff.

And past month, she called connected Olympic bosses to toughen up plans to prohibition transgender athletes, and declared: "I've ne'er been anti-trans successful my life. I'm conscionable pro-female."

The different caller Tory peers are the seasoned Euro-sceptic Sir John Redwood, erstwhile MP for Wokingham, who challenged John Major for the Conservative enactment successful 1995, and the right-wing Daily Mail and Sunday Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer.

The 5 Lib Dems see Sarah Teather, a erstwhile MP and inferior curate successful the Cameron-Clegg conjugation government, and 2 erstwhile hereditary peers.

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Defending the appointments, a Labour root claimed that adjacent present the Conservatives volition inactive beryllium the largest enactment successful the Lords "by far".

And close connected cue, wrong minutes of the No 10 announcement, the authorities suffered a decision yet again connected the Employment Rights Bill, but 244 votes to 220, a bulk of 24.

Had their 25 caller Labour peers been capable to vote, the authorities mightiness person defeated the combined absorption of Conservatives, Lib Dems and crossbenchers by 1 vote.