Nigel Farage has called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to appoint Reform UK supporters to the House of Lords, arguing that the party's lack of representation creates a “democratic disparity”. In a letter to Starmer, the Reform leader said it was unfair that smaller parties like the Greens have peers while Reform, which won over 4.1 million votes in the 2024 general election, has none.
Defence Secretary John Healey dismissed the demand, saying parliament would not benefit from “more Putin apologists”. Healey accused Farage of wanting to fill the Lords with “his cronies” and pointed out that Farage had previously called for the abolition of the upper chamber.
Farage’s letter, first reported in The Times, highlighted that Reform UK has since won local government seats and led in opinion polls. He noted that the Liberal Democrats have 76 peers despite receiving 600,000 fewer votes than Reform in July 2024. “None of this holds water any longer,” he wrote, citing “seismic shifts” in British politics.
Political appointments to the Lords are at the prime minister’s discretion, though convention allows opposition leaders to nominate peers. Downing Street has not yet responded to Farage’s request. Natalie Bennett, a former Green leader and life peer, suggested Starmer could respond by pursuing a fully elected upper house, a long-standing Green policy.
Labour’s manifesto promised immediate Lords reforms, including abolishing hereditary peers, with a longer-term aim to replace the chamber. However, Starmer has distanced himself from a Gordon Brown-led proposal for an elected assembly of nations and regions.
