£3 Million for a peerage?

GillT57

maddyone

We could of course, close the House of Lords. That would end the problem and be my favoured solution.

While I am concerned about the reasons for some of the members of the HoL being there, I do think we need a second chamber to check some of the outrages and excesses of the HoC. There needs to be reforms, that's certain, and the disgrace of Zac Goldsmith, a failed and rejected MP, being given a seat, let alone all of the dubious foreign money buying seats is disgraceful, but we must not allow these examples to get rid of one of our protections. This is not a party political problem (apart from at the moment) as all parties have rewarded the faithful with a seat, this is a positive to my mind for no-one can claim it is a politically motivated act and all parties can be involved in the reform.

as all parties have rewarded the faithful with a seat

Apart from the SNP.

And SNP MP Pete Wishart has asked the police to investigate if peerages really have been sold.

MaizieD

It is actually illegal to 'sell' peerages. This should be investigated by the police.

Loop holes , loop holes.
Big investigation in 2007, even Blair said the electorate didn’t understand the cash for peerage awards. No one was prosecuted. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4812822.stm

Just appalling and so wrong, It has to be stopped and all oppositions parties must insist on an enquiry.

''The Conservative Party has been accused of abusing the honours system by systematically offering seats in the House of Lords to a select group of multimillionaire donors who pay more than £3 million to the party.

An investigation by The Sunday Times and Open Democracy reveals that wealthy benefactors appear to be guaranteed a peerage if they take on the temporary role as the party treasurer and increase their own donations beyond £3 million. In the past two decades, all 16 of the party’s main treasurers — apart from the most recent, who stood down two months ago having donated £3.8 million — have been offered a seat in the Lords.

Among them was Peter Cruddas, a billionaire whose peerage was pushed through by Boris Johnson against the recommendation of the Lords appointments commission. One of the commission’s members has broken the panel’s silence over the process, saying the prime minister’s decision to “override what we did ... left a bad taste in my mouth”.''

maddyone

We could of course, close the House of Lords. That would end the problem and be my favoured solution.

While I am concerned about the reasons for some of the members of the HoL being there, I do think we need a second chamber to check some of the outrages and excesses of the HoC. There needs to be reforms, that's certain, and the disgrace of Zac Goldsmith, a failed and rejected MP, being given a seat, let alone all of the dubious foreign money buying seats is disgraceful, but we must not allow these examples to get rid of one of our protections. This is not a party political problem (apart from at the moment) as all parties have rewarded the faithful with a seat, this is a positive to my mind for no-one can claim it is a politically motivated act and all parties can be involved in the reform.

We could of course, close the House of Lords. That would end the problem and be my favoured solution.

Sleaze, sleaze and more sleaze.It really is dreadful that the Mother of all parliaments is being dragged down through one oaf's personal ambition and that the hangers on are just in it for their own aggrandisment.
Thank goodness for the few who voted with their conscience last week. Let's hope that that will inspire more.

It is actually illegal to 'sell' peerages. This should be investigated by the police.

Nothing here about buying your way in www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/about-lords/lords-appointment/.

This has been going on for years. I agree it should be stopped. Any rascal with that amount of money can interfere with our Parliamentary business if so desired, thank goodness the rulings in he Lords are checks and balances and not rulings.
www.thisismoney.co.uk/columnists/article-381820/Now-Labour-SELL-peerages-determined-wreck-Lords.html. Goes on with both sides, although this from a few years ago.