Helen welcomes Lords vote
Helen has welcomed the historic decision of the House of Commons to vote for an elected House of Lords.
Helen said, “This vote represents a step towards a more democratic and accountable House of Lords and it should therefore be welcomed.
“After 90 years of trying it is about time we got on with the job of reform. It cannot be right in a modern democratic country that the public have no say in choosing the people who make the laws. I am pleased that opponents of change on both sides of the House have not been able to block reform.”
Helen voted for a predominantly elected chamber with 50%, 60% and 80% of its members elected. The 80% motion was passed by MPs, as was the motion for a fully elected upper house.
She added, “I would like the House of Lords to be more representative of Britain. We need more women, more ethnic minorities, more young people and more people from the North. I think it would be acceptable to have a limited number of appointees to help achieve this.
“The important thing about the vote is that the log jam has been broken and we have a consensus to move to a more democratic system.”
The Government will now continue discussions with other parties and draw up a Bill to take forward reform.
Filed under: Uncategorized on March 8th, 2007
