We believe a new Act should be introduced to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an upper house of 500 members. 250 should be elected by single transferable vote and 250 should be nonpartisan experts appointed by an independent body. Both should be limited to two seven-year terms.

The Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 and the Lords Act 1999 demonstrated the competence of the Commons to fundamentally change the House of Lords. While we believe that the current government's moves to remove the hereditary peers are a move in the right direction, we think the Lords needs fundamental change in order to serve a changing country. We do not consider that the Lords enhances British democracy - this must change.