Eleanor Laing raises concerns over an elected House of Lords
Eleanor Laing asks the Deputy Prime Minister about the difficulty of preserving the primacy of the House of Commons if there were an elected House of Lords.
Mrs Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) (Con): It is interesting that the Deputy Prime Minister quoted selectively from the Joint Committee report. That report also stated:
“We concur…that Clause 2 of the draft Bill is not capable…of preserving the primacy of the House of Commons.”
Does he accept that?
The Deputy Prime Minister: I accept that the Joint Committee received evidence, particularly from Lords Pannick and Goldsmith, suggesting that the two Parliament Acts should be incorporated and reflected in clause 2 to clarify this issue of primacy beyond doubt. We are actively considering that and all the Joint Committee’s recommendations.
