Jack Straw's Lord Reform Proposals Published

The Guardian has published in full the Government's proposed Lords Reforms.

Jack Straw's new Lords would be elected on a regional basis.

The Government proposes 12 electoral regions which will act as multimember electoral constituencies. England will be divided into nine electoral regions, which are listed in Schedule 2. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will each be a single electoral region. This mirrors the electoral regions for European Parliamentary elections.

Introducing a territorial dimension to the Lords introduces the Upper West Lothian Question, but naturally they don't bother addressing that.

Interestingly the Government's apparently principled commitment to an all elected second chamber has its back broken by England's (not Britain's) ancient constitution.

Lords Spiritual
The Lords Spiritual – the 26 Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England – have always held a special and different position in the House of Lords. They differ from peers (the Lords Temporal) in two key respects. First, they do not sit for life, but only for their period as a Bishop or Archbishop of their diocese; secondly, although historically they sit as independent members of the Lords they are widely regarded as representatives of the Church of England.

The Government is and remains committed to the establishment of the Church of England, with the Sovereign as its Supreme Governor, and the relationship between Church and State. None of these reforms should or are meant to diminish establishment. The Established Church has for centuries played a seminal role in our national life and has played a major part in helping to shape the constitutional, legal and social fabric of the nation.

The nature of Establishment has changed down the years to reflect changing circumstances, but a presence in the Lords has been a constant manifestation. Bringing this to an end would therefore herald a significant change to a constitutional arrangement that binds Monarchy, Church and State together in a variety of ways. These include the fact that the Church of England’s own legislation is subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, and it is the Bishops who speak to that legislation in the House of Lords.

The Government proposes that a fully reformed second chamber, in recognition of the enduring importance of the established Church in national life, and irrespective of the outcome of the staging post review, should continue to allow a role for the established Church. So the continued role of
the Church would be guaranteed. The draft legislation provides for a limited role for a reduced number of Lords Spiritual in the reformed second chamber, but the exact arrangements would be subject to the views of the Church.

The Government also acknowledges the contribution which all faith communities have made to commenting on legislative proposals in the past. This is particularly true of the Church of England, but it is not confined to them. The Government will also consider how the contribution of the faith
communities more generally can still be made available.