Nigel Farage has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanding the right to nominate Reform UK supporters to the House of Lords, arguing that the party's electoral performance warrants representation in the upper chamber. The Reform leader described the request as a 'modest' step to address a 'democratic disparity', noting that smaller parties such as the Greens and the Liberal Democrats have peers despite receiving fewer votes than Reform UK in the July 2024 general election.
Defence Secretary John Healey dismissed the demand, accusing Farage of seeking to fill the Lords with 'his cronies' and 'more Putin apologists'. Healey pointed to Farage's past comments on Russia and Vladimir Putin, stating that parliament would not benefit from such figures. The defence secretary also highlighted that Farage had previously called for the abolition of the House of Lords.
In his letter, first reported by the Times, Farage emphasised that Reform UK received over 4.1 million votes in the general election, has won numerous local government seats, and led in opinion polls for months. He argued that the current distribution of peers is unfair, with the Liberal Democrats holding 76 seats despite receiving 600,000 fewer votes than Reform UK.
Political appointments to the Lords are made at the prime minister's discretion, though convention allows opposition leaders to nominate candidates. Downing Street has not yet responded to Farage's request. The demand has renewed calls for replacing the Lords with an elected second chamber, a promise Starmer made when elected Labour leader in 2020 but has since backed away from.
Natalie Bennett, a former Green Party leader and life peer, suggested Starmer could respond by pursuing a fully elected upper house, a long-standing Green Party policy. Labour's manifesto pledged 'immediate reforms' to the Lords, but so far only legislation to abolish hereditary peers has been introduced.
