A senior Conservative peer has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to grant Reform UK a voice in the House of Lords.
The appeal comes after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wrote to Sir Keir in August, requesting lifetime peerages for his party.
Lord True, the Conservative leader in the House of Lords, told The Daily Telegraph that Reform’s success in winning Commons seats means their “view should be heard in the upper chamber as well”.
“The beauty of this house is its complete freedom, so any person here wants to put down an amendment, that amendment must be heard,” he said.
“Having someone from a party that is represented in the House of Commons, to take a detailed part in examination and to put forward that party’s point of view, I think, is a sensible principle.”
The Tory leader said he had also called for more Labour peers in the House of Lords under Conservative prime ministers Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.
“Every party needs a refresh in the chamber, particularly a chamber where the average age is 70,” he said. “You must have new people coming in.”
In his letter to the prime minister, first reported by The Times in August, Mr Farage said his party was keen to see life peers appointed to the upper house “at the earliest possible opportunity”.
“My party received over 4.1 million votes at the general election in July 2024. We have since won a large number of seats in local government, led in the national opinion polls for many months and won the only by-election of this parliament,” he said.
Former Conservative life peer Malcolm Offord announced his defection to Reform UK in December.
During a speech, Lord Offord confirmed he would give up his place in the House of Lords as he prepares to stand in the Scottish parliament election in May.
While the prime minister has full discretion over appointments to the Lords and is not required by law to grant seats to opposition figures, it is not uncommon for leaders to invite nominations from other parties.
In December, Sir Keir created 25 new Labour peers, while the Liberal Democrats received five and the Conservatives three.
Other minor parties in the upper house include the DUP with six seats, the UUP with three, and the Green Party and Plaid Cymru with two each.
