Nick Clegg cut a rather solitary figure on the government’s front bench yesterday afternoon as he announced his plans for reform of the House of Lords. There was outright laughter and smirking from many MPs behind him. And as Roland Watson points out this morning, more than a dozen Lib Dem peers are urging the DPM to back off.
But this belies the fact that some of the biggest Tory beasts in Cabinet are full square behind the deputy prime minister on this issue. They include George Osborne, David Cameron, Theresa May and Liam Fox. Fox and May spoke out particularly strongly at cabinet yesterday in support of revamping the Lords – and getting on with it in time for some senate elections in 2015.
Lords reform is the most sticky of swamps but you never know; Clegg might yet have a sliver of a chance.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey