Carmichael: 1,000 years of unelected peers shows need for democratic change - Carmichael

The Liberal Democrats have always advocated democratic reform of the House of the Lords. But the brutal truth is that this Government simply has no appetite for the fundamental reform which the House of Lords desperately needs.

"The Liberal Democrats fought hard for democratic reform of the Lords during the coalition period, but were thwarted by a conservative alliance of Tory and Labour MPs.

"The Burns report makes interesting proposals for reducing the size of the Lords, which everyone agrees is necessary. But we should not be having to rely on a backbench committee to make any progress on the issue. We've had 1,000 years of unelected peers and we're still discussing the solutions in back rooms, rather than driving forward with democratic change