House of Lords Appointments Commission

The Commission has non-partisan members as well as representatives from the House of Lords of the three largest political parties:[2]

• Chair: The Lord Bew (member since 2007; Chair since November 2018)[3]
• Non-party political members:
  • The Lord Chartes GCVO PC (member since 2019)[4]
  • Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle DBE DL (member since 2019)[4]
  • vacant following the resignation of Harry Mount in September 2022
• Members nominated by the three major parties:
  • Conservatives: The Baroness Noakes
  • Labour: The Baroness Taylor of Bolton PC (member since 2022)[5]
  • Liberal Democrats: The Baroness Parminter

The Commission makes recommendations for the appointment of non-partisan life peers. It has established for itself seven criteria upon which to base its decisions, seeking to recommend people with

• a record of significant achievement within their chosen way of life;
• the ability to make an effective and significant contribution to the work of the House of Lords;
• the time available to ensure they can make a contribution;
• some understanding of the constitutional framework, including the place of the House of Lords;
• integrity and independence;
• a commitment to the highest standards of public life; and
• independence from any political party.[6]

The Commission has made recommendations for appointment on 16 occasions since its establishment in 2000, with a total of 67 people being recommended for peerages. All of these individuals went on to be nominated as and created life peers. Upon taking their seats, every one of them joined the crossbenches.

The fact that the type of people considered by the Commission for peers were to be neither aristocratic nor members of the "political class" led some in the British media to describe those it was to appoint as "people's peers".[7] This term has never been a formal classification.

The purpose of the reform was to make the process more open and those making appointments more accountable. Upon the establishment of the Commission, the Prime Minister Tony Blair said it would ensure a House of Lords that was "more representative of our diverse society"; suitable candidates would be sought "in a wider field than up to now".[7]

Following the first set of appointments in April 2001, it was, however, pointed out that those chosen included several knights as well as leading academics and scientists, having much the same establishment background that would have been made peers anyway. The Labour MP Diane Abbott described them as "the metropolitan elite".

The people recommended for appointment as life peers by the Commission since its establishment are listed below, by date of recommendation.[8][9][10][11]

In March 2006, the Commission objected to several men proposed for working peerages by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who had loaned large amounts of money to Blair's Labour Party. This led to the "Cash-for-Honours scandal."

In 2020, the Commission objected to the nomination of Peter Cruddas for a peerage by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Cruddas had donated over £1,000,000 to Johnson's Conservative Party. Johnson nonetheless decided that the appointment should proceed, becoming the first ever prime minister to overrule an advice of the Commission.[12]

It was reported in 2023 that eight nominations for life peerages in Boris Johnson's resignation honours were blocked by the commission.[13]

• Lords Reform

• House of Lords Appointments Commission