Burnham must bin House of Lords
The Scottish Greens have doubled down on their calls for the abolition of the House of Lords.
This follows recent comments from Ian Blackford on The National’s podcast supporting SNP taking seats in the unelected chamber.
Scottish Greens co-leader, Gillian Mackay has argued that Scotland’s democratic deficit would not be solved by appointing more politicians to an institution whose members cannot be elected or removed by the public.
Gillian has also challenged Andy Burnham to finally abolish the House of Lords as part of a drive to clean up politics, highlighting recent scandals surrounding the unelected chamber.
These include Lord Tom Watson’s senior role at Palantir, the US tech-giant facing accusations of complicity in the genocide in Gaza through its work with Israel’s military; Anas Sarwar’s peerage and ministerial appointment following Scottish Labour’s worst Holyrood election result; and Peter Mandelson’s resignation from the Lords following further revelations about his links to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Gillian said:
“We need to be setting our sights higher than finding room for the more people in Westminster’s unelected club.
“Scotland deserves far better than a bigger stake in Westminster’s political retirement home. We need representatives chosen by voters, accountable to voters and removable by voters, just as any normal democracy does.
“The answer is simple: abolish the unelected House of Lords and replace it with an elected chamber. Scotland’s democratic deficit would not be solved by appointing more politicians to an unelected chamber in Westminster.
“The Scottish Greens will always make the positive, hopeful case for an independent Scotland, where power rests with the people who live here, and everyone who makes our laws are accountable to them.”
Gillian added:
“Andy Burnham promised a ‘new politics’ and talked about electoral reform all while leaving Westminster’s unelected chamber intact.
“From Mandelson’s Epstein scandal to former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson’s job at US tech firm Palantir and Sarwar’s peerage after Scotland rejected his bid to become First Minister, Westminster keeps showing why this unaccountable system must end.
“If his ‘new politics’ means unelected jobs for insiders, and a Westminster veto over Scotland’s future, his promise of democratic renewal is already being broken.“If the Prime Minister wants to retain a shred of democratic credibility, he must abolish the unelected House of Lords, replace it with a proportionally elected chamber, and respect Scotland’s right to choose our own future.”