The House of Lords is facing heavy criticism after it was revealed that the expenses bill meant that peers have received tax-free payments worth more than the average British worker’s salary.
The Lords’ expenses and daily attendance allowance claims rocketed to £23m in the year to last March, this is an increase of twenty-nine per cent compared to the previous year according to the Sunday Times.
The average tax-free bill was sitting at £30,827, higher than the median salary of a British worker, while 31 members of the Lords claimed more than the take-home pay of an MP.
A Lords spokesperson defended the rise in costs, saying peers sat for fewer days in 2017-18 due to the snap election called by Theresa May.
However, after the figures were revealed many have called for reform of the chamber, SNP politicians have claimed it is “completely undemocratic” to allow peers to “live the high life” without accountability to the taxpayer.
The SNP’s Tommy Sheppard said: “Allowing peers to profit from their status, without any accountability to the taxpayers who pay for them to live the high life, is completely undemocratic,
“The House of Lords is quickly becoming a national embarrassment. The sooner this undemocratic, out-of-touch institution is abolished, the better.”
The rise in cost also comes as the House of Lords is set to surpass 830 members with the latest round of honours, this will be the highest number since Tony Blair scrapped hereditary peerages in 1999.
A spokesperson for the Lords said: “The increase in the costs of House of Lords allowances in the 2018-19 financial year is largely due to a 25 per cent increase in the number of days that the House sat, rising from 129 in 2017-18 to 161 in 2018-19.
“As members of the Lords can generally only claim allowances for days they attend the House, any increase in sitting days is likely to produce an increase in the cost of members’ allowances.”
The former Prime Minister Tony Blair abolished the majority of hereditary peerages in 1999 however more than 90 people with inherited titles remain, accounting for around 12 per cent of the House of Lords.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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