Some reflections now I have had two weeks in the Lords in session. I have given my maiden speech, asked questions, intervened following a Statement and delivered a speech on growth and the EU re set.
My first impression is there is plenty to do. My working week when in session will include more than a standard 37 hours on Lords business including time in the chamber and committee, dealing with correspondence, talking to other peers,MPs and people seeking to influence public policy, reading to decide what to pursue and to offer policy advice, and to keep up to date with the wide ranging work of the revising chamber. Running this website is also relevant to what I will do in the Lords.
My second is that the Lords does do a lot of detailed useful work on legislation that needs doing. Tge Commons often is too busy to do all the detail and government often introduces lots of new material at the Lords stage.
My third is that when a government with a majority loses control of its own MPs or lacks clear direction and purpose the Lords has a more important advisory role, offering options and pushing back on bad compromises and temporary fixes grasped at by a sinking administration.
I remain wedded to the doctrine that the elected House should make all the big decisions and Manifesto measures approved by electors should be allowed to pass. As an MP there were times when I thought the Lords right to challenge a Conservative government over a non Manifesto measure or a bad response to new developments.The Commons need to ensure the Lords is not a better judge of the public mood or a better voter champion than elected MPs.
My criticism of the Lords then and now remains the same. There are too many peers who read out dull repetitious Establishment speeches. They use foolish, disproved and tired old soundbites to defend net zero, EU compliance, the tyranny of poorly performing “independent” bodies and strange interpretations of international law hostile to UK interests.The Lords for example should be interested in how the Bank of England presided over 11% inflation when it was meant to keep it to 2% and how it is now losing taxpayers £20 bn a year. Giving more speeches about the wonders of independence does not help.
February 28, 2026
Too many tedious speeches?
That’s why the former hereditary peers should be reinstated and the government appointees retired!
February 28, 2026
I fear you will be a voice in the wilderness John. Too many stooges appointed by various PMs
Reward for failure in many cases
A fair amount of traitors sucking of the taxpayer teat
February 28, 2026
+1
March 3, 2026
+1, but we are fortunate to have John in there.
February 28, 2026
With Prime Ministers as appalling as John ERM Major, war on lies Blair, Gordon sell the gold and save the world Brown, Lord Cameron of Greensill, Theresa Net Zero May, Net zero, open door immigration 1m + Boris, abandon ship & tax to death Sunak and Sir Two Tier then you obviously get truly appalling nominations.
With just one or two exceptions like JR.
February 28, 2026
There’s a short extract on Youtube where Lord J is featured, discussing the Chagos fiasco. Lord J politely pointed out that there is a ‘military facility’ exception to one of the legal arguments for the giveaway, the government minister dismissed the ‘newby’ Peer’s point rather arrogantly, essentially telling him to go a read the debate records on this point. If the point made is valid, then it clearly hasn’t been properly addressed and should be! The Lords – grown-up debate to correct the errors..sometimes, perhaps…
February 28, 2026
Indeed.
Absolutely pathetic & on the fence statement on the Iran situation for the dire Two Tier Kier who idiotically “recognised” Palestine and seems to hugely dislike Israel and like anti-Semitic hate marches. Perhaps had Kier and the others dopes like Carney and the EU countries been rather more supportive and resolute this appalling war could perhaps have been avoided. Let us hope the outcome will be far better than the appalling existing regime and will happen with minimum casualties and quickly – we can at least hope!
February 28, 2026
Yes indeed, at least Trump can read a situation and make a decision to act. Starmer and the EU, my goodness, what a waste of space these people are. To paraphrase; ‘better to keep mouth shut and let others only think you are irrelevant than to open mouth and remove all doubt’.
February 28, 2026
Starmer (and Carney and France and Germany) were all dithering or on the wrong side on the start of this this war. Starmer now trying to climb back slighty but is still pathetically dithering.
But what would one expect? He is wrong on two tier justice, wrong on the economy, wrong on net zero, wrong on the anti-semitic marches, wrong on net zero, wrong on the war on private schools and motorists, wrong on immigration levels, wrong on the war on farmers, small businesses, the self employed, non doms, employers, wrong on his doomloop economic policies, wrong on Lucy Connolly… wrong on everything!
March 3, 2026
People are concentrating on farmers and landlords, and fine, they obviously have the ear of useful opinion formers. The lack of representation for small businesses is shocking me. In the past, I thought there were organisations to protect their interests, from the IoD to the FSB, FPB, CBI (well, maybe not them), the Chamber of Commerce, and IPSE. The small business commissioner says the voice of 6 million small businesses is being heard. No, it definitely isn’t being heard.
What have you read about small business concerns (other than farmers and landlords – ironically from Sacha Lord, who confidently told everyone to vote Labour) – news for you, it’s not only the Hospitality sector!
Hunt set up SMEs through major structural changes to the UK tax system to provide Reeves with her bumper Jan 2026 Corp tax receipts. You should try getting R&D development for a small business, esp if you want to keep your software for your sole use as a unique selling point, share or zero.
February 28, 2026
Israel starts off the next round of attacks on Iran.
Trump can claim he did not start the war. It also ensures Israel does not let America do all the fighting.
February 28, 2026
Trump on Truth Social in a white hat like the good cowboy in the cinema. He is talking, ironically, about ‘the number one state sponsor of terrorism’.
February 28, 2026
and Starmer is more worried about offending the pro gaza crowd then protecting the UK from terrorism
February 28, 2026
and he wanted, he claimed deservedly so, the Nobel Peace Prize. You couldn’t make it up.
If ever there was sponsored military aggression it is now.
Possibly easily justified but not absolving him from a share of blame.
February 28, 2026
@Snowdrop – it seems a strange set up now, ‘hereditary peers’ for the most part were impartial, non partisan just there to do the ‘duty’ they inherited, not taking orders from a ‘Gang Boss’. Not right in a modern world but more honest
February 28, 2026
Turbulent times need the wisdom and experience you can bring to your new role, John, and I am sure that we who regularly follow you on this blog wish you well in it. As Churchill said, never, never, never give up! Recent events show that his war, our war, is ongoing.
500 years ago(1526) William Tyndale made the truth of the New Testament available in English: “to princes, and every ploughboy”.
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (Proverbs 29:2).
March 2, 2026
Snowdrop
In a way the roughly 90 hereditaries are less bad than the has-beens and cronies put there by successive PMs and other party leaders. They are at least random. Moreover, if we have 90 random rich people in the upper house, would it not be fair to complement this by adding 510 or so randomly-chosen low- and middle-income people, i.e. chosen by a similar process to jury service?
I happen to think that some extremely good peers, including JR, have joined the Lords in the past ten years. On the other hand, as a result of patronage, some seem to have been put there for what they’ve given, not for what they’ve done. Random selection could give a ‘better’ mix of peers than the current system. Or perhaps it could be used to select half the membership.
February 28, 2026
Much sense in all you says and your two excellent speeches so far. The country will certainly get good value from you and even better value if they actually listen and acted on your wise advice.
“The Commons need to ensure the Lords is not a better judge of the public mood or a better voter champion than elected MPs.” Sir Two Tier seems to do the complete reverse of what the public demand he is either out to damage the UK or he is totally deluded. Especially on growth and immigration but on every issue.
A good The Sceptic podcast with Fred de Fossard on how the appalling Equality Act fosters discrimination against white males, and Tilak Doshi on Germany’s chemicals industry bloodbath.
In Episode 69 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Fred de Fossard, Director of Strategy at the Prosperity Institute, on the scourge of Labour’s Equality Act 2010, why Reform is right to repeal it and whether Restore Britain is a threat to Farage.
And Dr Tilak Doshi, the Daily Sceptic’s Energy Editor, on how Net Zero is sending Germany’s chemicals industry down the drain, and why sceptics are the real climate scientists.
February 28, 2026
Given the new “banter law” where business owners can be sued for people offended by what other customers say (and they overheard and claim they are offended by). What happens if they get a BBC type of Tourette’s person in a the pub or on a bus? Are they supposed to kick them out and then get sued for disabled discrimination or let them stay and then they get sued by other “offended” customers?
The insanity of this governments appalling laws. indeed all governments from Major onwards and even before.
February 28, 2026
What happens when you find someone with Tourette’s in the pub or a bus?
Lawyers make a lot of money.
February 28, 2026
I once worked in an open-plan area where an obscenity might be shouted every few days. Other staff would carry on with what they were doing and life carried on…
February 28, 2026
Indeed and we become less and less competitive. Yet more doom loop lunacy!
March 3, 2026
None of this government over-reach into what people say to each other is actually helping anybody; in fact, it is contributing to the inability to deal with real-life problems. Children from the 1960s and 70s have an inbuilt resilience from being left alone to grow up, allowed to play unsupervised and not micro-managed by their parents. They used to insult each other, and learn to deal with it. Instead of this new passive-aggressive, subtle bullying and the mental health problems that have exploded in the 18-25 year age group, isolating someone who aggravates others is more damaging than calling them out. Something is seriously going wrong: they can’t find work or deal with the workplace once they do, and they leave shortly afterwards.
February 28, 2026
Clearly the election rules should publish the % of postal votes take. Up and how the postal voters voted is there a large difference from how in person voters voted or not due to family voting?
February 28, 2026
It’s not a free and fair election if you’re a woman in a household where the man fills in the postal vote for you.
One would have thought the Greens were in favour of universal suffrage. Have they had to park that virtue to please their new Islamist friends?
Better to just concentrate on the things they can agree on, like Jew hatred and the destruction of British society.
February 28, 2026
DA: “One would have thought the Greens were in favour of universal suffrage. Have they had to park that virtue to please their new Islamist friends?”
Have you not noticed how similar are Communism and Islamism?
February 28, 2026
Lifelogic
As posted yesterday, I think the reasons for Postal Voting needs to be looked at urgently, as it provides an easy route for manipulation of a block family/community vote.
Voting in person with a proven ID should be the aim. with the only exception being proven holidays of business trips
February 28, 2026
+1
February 28, 2026
Taken from your last paragraph: “There are too many peers” nuff said.
February 28, 2026
I don’t doubt that you will be an asset to the Lords.
Unfortunately, far too many are in a completely different entity: The House of Frauds.
February 28, 2026
“some types of work are inherently bogus, or at best mere busywork”
I am surprised milord that an experienced businessman can think there is a need for 37+ hours work in The Lords.
Seems to me a massive redundancy campaign and re engineering of the business is needed in both houses and indeed the entire Westminster estate.
But we will not do that. So keep playing at ‘work’ like the rest, but remember, we are not impressed.
Reply The work is reading, reviewing and understanding government laws and policies in order to suggest improvements and changes. There is a great deal to understand and review. Re you suggesting no one should bother to do this? Why are you spending time reading this blog and commenting if this is all a waste of time?
February 28, 2026
The House of Lords plays a key and valuable role in government, and like everything, can be improved here and there (greatly improved in places, perhaps), but is fundamentally fine as it is. And like everyone else, the lords need encouragement, support and respect!
February 28, 2026
To reply:-
Indeed one of the problems of IT and indeed statutes and legal documents is that things they used to be one or two pages have becone 320 pages to read! Perhaps go back to hand written on velum?
February 28, 2026
You have joined the upper chamber at a very interesting time. Turmoil at home and a new war just started in Iran. Turmoil in the markets likely short term, at least. I hope you do what you can to steer us back towards a wise, long view, Britain-first path.
February 28, 2026
Just on the BoE bond sale losses, I think the Lords should be aware that most Gilt prices have been uptrending since September 2025 as the bond market prices in lower prospective interest rates caused by lower prospective inflation.
I believe it is matter of time now before those Gilt prices exceed the prices which the BoE sold them at, eg if they sold a Gilt at GBP 80 they may very well find the bonds reaching > GBP 80, especially in a recession. Whatever the price they were sold at, whatever the net costs of the APF (effectively bank rate minus coupon rate), it all could have been offset by rising bond prices. In short, the losses on the BoE Gilt sales could have been substantially reduced (which are an astonishing GBP 100bn so far and still rising).
The BoE should have held the Gilts to maturity and sold them if the opportunity occurs which looks likely this or next year.
Reply I have proposed holding to maturity as the ECB and Fed do. The shorter the time to maturity the closer the price will be to 100.,
February 28, 2026
Just checked on Hargreaves Lansdown and a 0.5% treasury bond maturing October 2061 is trading at 26.66! If they are being sold by someone who bought them at auction, they will be seeing a colossal loss.
On the other hand, a 0.125% bond maturing Jan 2028 is trading at 94.15. Seeing as there is no CGT on bonds, something to consider as an investment.
March 1, 2026
This makes sense but just pointing out you say Treasury. I presume these are Gilts though. Clearly the sovereign bond with a 35 year maturity (long-dated) has an excessive and unrealistic inflation projection priced in. It has a discount rate on 4.95% but there is no way interest rates are going to be that high every year for the next 35 years (as inflation will drop). Incidentally, the bond with 2 years to maturity bond implies a discount rate of 3.19%. That’s more realistic over the next 2 years but is still likely too high for the same reason.
The investor in this example who has seen their bond drop to GBP 26.66 may very well see that recover a lot over the next 2 years. I strongly suspect the recovery of that bond has started already.
Reply This site does not give investment advice. Long bonds are suffering a Reeves discount with prices always lower than the worst day under Truss. Markets fear bigger deficits as well as inflation above 2%. Ultra low coupon bonds in an era of higher interest rates are usually going to be at discounts, with much bigger discounts for longer dated.
February 28, 2026
From today’s Media
“Election monitors looking for illegal family voting have been ordered to show “sensitivity” to different “cultures and customs”.
So different laws for different people depending how one person thinks you look. How about a country were everyone is equal and the law is the law for all. The real meaning of ‘equalities’ all other options lead to discrimination.
But our ruler is not called ”TwoTierKier’ for nothing
February 28, 2026
I can’t help but question what is the point, not the point of an Upper Chamber, that’s a necessary ‘democratic’ need. But the point of 847 unelected, unaccountable, unrepresentative members being able to put their undemocratic ‘2 penneth’ worth opinion into matters of state. Why cant the rest of us have the same equivalent say, or are one persons rights better than another’s – but that would lead to democracy. Yes, even then the bulk just do the bidding of their Gang Leaders in the other house, but that’s is also nothing to do with democracy.
I have been a bit disingenuous, 90 of the peers were actually elected via a select club.
The UK population 67million upper house 847, of the unelected. The USA population 450million the upper house consists of 100 democratically elected members. Which to an outsider suggests democracy at work?
The House of Lords as with the House of Commons is out of step in a fast evolving/moving world their systems and culture are out of place. Out of place, and still suggest its part of democracy – a contradiction surely. End result is an undemocratic chamber doing the bidding of Gang Bosses that cling to power, because they shun democracy themselves with 5 damaging year terms before the seek validation of direction.
The of course it is compatible with TwoTierKier’s version of the World. His World and the real World.
February 28, 2026
Congrats Lord Redwood.
February 28, 2026
Then again illustrating the fast-paced world we live in – TwoTierKier is putting together a team of his Legal buddies to seek reparations following today’s attacks.
As we are not a democracy there is no structures to stop him looking for rewards.
The channel has been opened the right to stay has been granted to the new voters, the New Briton’s, are they going to be Red or Green?
February 28, 2026
Our very own Lord-J is George Smiley ….but don’t tell anyone
February 28, 2026
I look forward to further insight into the machinations of this chamber.
February 28, 2026
Off topic, but on message
From Guido
“Chaos tonight in Starmer’s Chagos negotiations as the Government of the Maldives has formally objected to his Chagos deal and is now seeking to block it. This is a disaster for Starmer as the Maldives are a key friendly country in the region and also enjoy good relations with the US…
A press note issued in Port Louis confirms:
“This decision follows the recent stand taken by the Government of the Republic of the Maldives whereby it no longer recognises the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago, its territorial integrity and is now objecting to the Agreement between Mauritius and the UK”.
https://order-order.com/2026/02/27/starmers-chagos-deal-causes-diplomatic-fight-between-uk-allies-mauritius-and-the-maldives/#comments
Lovely comments section
February 28, 2026
On twitter now X former Barrister & Conservative MP – @Anna Soubry accepting some serious failures of judgement @KierStarmer has integrity & a deep sense of serving the country rather than perusing his own self interest.
February 28, 2026
Quoted elsewhere “even human right have two tiers!”
February 28, 2026
Starmer’s broadcast to the nation today, and his first words were; we’re not help the USA we’re not aiding our closest ally ….now thats sending a message
February 28, 2026
Your interesting comments confirm many people’s gut feeling about the House of Lords. Too many second- and third-rate raters who can’t think for themselves, or timeservers who will never challenge the government. As well as having too many members. Of the 849 current members, it would be interesting to know how many are really active and hard-working. I suspect (gut feeling again) that there are probably 150 to 200 involved and working 37-plus hours a week, and the rest are infrequent attenders, mainly interested in collecting their expenses.
We have had a series of weak, lefty PMs, so they will nominate exactly the wrong type of people for the Lords.
My hope is that Kemi Badenoch and possibly Nigel Farage will have the humility to listen to you, and the handful of other sensible, conservative peers who actually have conservative values./
February 28, 2026
Dear John,
I was very interested in your report of “The LORDS”, through my Charity “DECIBELS” LORD MICHAEL BERKELEY of KNIGHTON , CBE is our HON. PRESIDENT.
We met in the LORDS function room once for a “DECIBELS” reception and he chaired the meeting.
Also one of our trustees William OGDEN is through being deaf involved meeting him.
February 28, 2026
I find your comments after two weeks very interesting. I quite often watch Parliamentary debates when there is nothing better on TV, which is frequently. As far as the House of Lords is concerned, with a few notable exceptions I find the speakers a rather tired lot of has-beens, making speeches of just the nature you describe, and a far more often than not, when one hears someone making a good and sensible contribution, ironically they turn out to be an hereditary.
February 28, 2026
My proposal for improving the way Britain is governed is to begin by abolishing the HoL (sorry Lord Redwood (you are one of the few who deserve to be there …. but …)). To be sure, we do need an upper house which exercises necessary “quality control” over proposed legislation emerging from the HoC. The HoL does indeed do that.
Mu objection to the HoL is that the public do not have any control over who gets selected, we mostly have no idea who these people are, what they have achieved that renders them suitable for such high office. The very name “Lords” already suggests that the members of that house are remote from the public, and, “better”?
I would replace the HoL with a body I would call the Witan (or Witangemot). Good old AngloSaxon names. The members should be selected from nominees provided by:
1. As now, the main political parties BUT ONLY VERY FEW.
2. Leading professional bodies like the Bar Council, Law Society, leading universities, Royal Society, RSC, societies of engineers etc., medical societies, the military, leaders of banks and financial institutions. And even trade unions but only the ones that behave themselves and act responsibly.
3. Some representatives of the world of culture and sports. Very selectively.
I don’t see any need to have prelates included. Maybe a few ….
No hereditary peers as this is no longer a house of lords.
The emphasis should be on evidence of achievement as well as service to the country.
February 28, 2026
The BBC broadcasting the Iranian foreign ministry live, quite predictable I suppose from the traitors in our national state broadcaster.
As for Starmer ending his statement with “according to International Law” shows what a plonker he is, he is incapable of conceptualising anything in a dimension except a simplistic lawyers view.
Well done Trump, I hope it works out.
February 28, 2026
I have always been concerned that the Hol has too many political placements who parrot those in the Commons like an echo chamber unable to keep up with latest thinking outside the box or outside the Westminster bubble. Plenty of examples exist and hope you keep challenging the status quo SJR.
February 28, 2026
Dear Lord R , Thank you for sharing your journey in the House of Lords with your readers. It is very instructive to learn more about the Lords in practice alongside you. Personally, I find Lords debates on TV the only ones worth following, despite the tedious interludes.
As an ordinary voter, however I have only contempt for the convention that “manifesto commitments” must not be challenged. The idea that voters have in some way approved or at least assented to the legislative measures in a winning party’s manifesto is a ludicrous fiction that has become an affront to the electorate.
The Labour Party’ s 2024 manifesto was 136 pages long. How many electors were aware of even the half of it. The Conservative manifesto, after 9 years of power to legislate, was 80 pages long. Few Conservatives, for instance , seem to be aware that it committed to the building of 1.6 million residential units in five years, 100,000 more than Labour. If this was a serious plan, perhaps Sir James Cleverly could tell Mr Reed the secret that is so far eluding him.
The sanctity of manifesto commitments is only legitimate if these reflect core policies on which an election is fought: no more than half a dozen made plain to all by something akin the the Ed Stone of 2015. If measures requiring parliamentary approval are not important enough to make that cut (budgets aside) they should have no authority over MPs or Lords. The present convention is really a political trick played on the electorate and needs to be rethought.
Reply The Conservative 2019 Manifesto committed to 1 m new homes of all types by 2024,a target they hit. It talked about pushing on to 300,000 a year for this Parliament without specifying a total for 2024-9.
February 28, 2026
Reply to Reply: Conservative Manifesto page 54 first paragraph: “we will deliver 1.6 million new homes in England in the next parliament”.
Reply The 2024 Manifesto was not supported by voters so we will never know how many homes a 2024-29 Conservative government would have achieved.The 2019 one said 1 million which were delivered.
March 1, 2026
I have no doubts of the need for a Lords or Senate. It is its size and political stacking that I question. If the USA can operate with 100 why do we need more. Sort that out and continue to perform its purpose as you describe it.