"In private Cameron has supposedly described Lords reform as "a third-term issue""

The title of this post is a quote from this morning's Guardian and it makes sense.  David Cameron has plenty of other legislative priorities before reforming the Upper House and initiating a difficult battle with the mass of Tory life peers who oppose his instinct to democratise the Lords.  [Turkeys don't vote for Christmas].

Labour, says The Guardian's Patrick Wintour, want to expose Tory hesitancy on the Lords by tabling motions for democratisation in the autumn.  Labour aims to paint the Tories as opposed to modernisation.

David Cameron's priority, should he become Prime Minister, will be to increase the number of Tory peers.  He will be the first Tory leader to face a second chamber without an inbuilt Tory majority and many Conservative peers are elderly and Lord Strathclyde, Conservative Leader of the Lords, has warned David Cameron that he'll need an influx of new talent to ensure the frontbench is strong enough.  

ConservativeHome launched a Search for 100 New Peers earlier this year.   We got to fifty nominations and will resume our search soon.

Tim Montgomerie