Petition: Make members of the House of Lords representatives of local councils

(Currently awaiting approval before publication on Parliament’s website)

The doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty emerged as the cornerstone of our constitution for pragmatic reasons, having developed when the Lords were local rulers – making Parliament the place where different sources of power came together. However it has now become an arbitrary convention.

The transfer of power from local lords to democratic local authorities destroyed the balance of power between national and local government, and the balance of power within Parliament, undermining the foundations of parliamentary sovereignty.

To restore those foundations, we ask that Parliament re-establish the House of Lords as the aggregate voice of local government, by making its members representatives of elected local authorities, subject to recall and re-appointment by them at will.

As of 12th September, this petition is waiting for pre-publication approval (which usually takes a week or so, but can take three weeks or more).

This is one of a number of constitutional reform petitions I’ve started. Please also look at the others and sign any that you agree with. (Link opens in a new tab)