SNP should send members to House of Lords, claims Labour peer George Foulkes

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Labour peer has called on the SNP to join the House of Lords instead of "shouting from the sidelines".Former MSP and MP George Foulkes said that the SNP "should take part in the struggle from within" to reform the Lords.The SNP has chosen not to have any representation in the House of Lords, while former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested that it should be replaced by an elected assembly of nations and regions.Foulkes' call comes after SNP MP Tommy Sheppard released a report which revealed that Scottish peers received £2.3 million in expenses in a year.The paper also criticised the Lords for its lack of Scottish independence supporters and over-representation of UK parties, even though the SNP abstains from the chamber.Sheppard has a long-standing opposition to the Lords and has called for it to be abolished.Foulkes said: "I’ve read quickly through the report and I agree with a lot of it.

I staunchly support replacing the Lords with a Senate of the Nations and Regions, and have been arguing this for some time now."Tommy Sheppard has, however, missed out a lot of the good work done by some peers including the work I do with him on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe including on press freedom."I could write an even more searing criticism of the Lords, including the bizarre hereditary peers by-elections, the corrupt nominations, lack of proper provision to do the job and much more."The SNP do not support the Union yet stand for Westminster."So they should accept the invitation to nominate peers and join with me and others to replace it from within."Shouting from the touch line is futile.