Lib Dems detail Lords reform plans

A redundancy package for life peers and a 12-year term for elected members of the upper house were among the Liberal Democrat proposals for Lords reform unveiled today.

The party is also calling for the introduction of a proportional representation voting system to elect members of the second chamber.

Consultation on the government's plans for a mostly appointed upper house, ends next week.

Speaking this morning, Liberal Democrat MP Paul Tyler said the lord chancellor's proposals were "dead in the water".

"The opposition to them is virtually unanimous. The proportion of elected members which he is proposing is far too small, and the opportunity for putting party placemen far too large," Mr Tyler said of Lord Irvine's plans.

The Lib Dem plans match recent Conservative proposals, which said that 80% of peers should be elected and the remaining 20% appointed.

However the Lib Dems have gone further in specifying how the elected members would be chosen.

"It would be on the basis of the single transferable vote on the normal euro election constituencies," Mr Tyler said.

"It would be quite absurd if we simply reproduced again a clone of the House of Commons with all its inadequacies in terms of inadequate representation of voters views."