Labour’s Lords reform plan is about framing the election campaign not the constitution

Labour knows that its class attacks on David Cameron only work when they tie them to a specific issue. So it was almost inevitable that House of Lords reform was going to be wheeled out at some point.

There was excitement in Labour circles earlier this year when the Tories voted against removing the voting rights of the remaining hereditary peers. Gordon Brown used the issue as an attack line at Prime Minister Questions and Labour see the vote as something they can use to paint the Tories as the party of inherited privilege.

Patrick Hennesssy now has the scoop that Labour will have a manifesto commitment to having a fully elected, 300 strong second chamber. As Patrick reports, ‘Labour’s plan is to provoke elements inside the Conservative Party to object to the reforms – which would allow it to paint David Cameron as wedded to old ideas of privilege.’