Sue Gray Among 30 New Labour Peers Appointed by Government

The government has designated 30 new Labour peers, a group that includes several former Members of Parliament and individuals considered loyal to Sir Keir Starmer. Sue Gray, who previously served as the prime minister’s chief of staff, has also been granted a position in the House of Lords, validating earlier week reports. This appointment occurs just two months after her departure from her role as the prime minister’s chief of staff, a period marked by internal disputes concerning her impact. The Conservative party has named six new peers, among them former deputy prime minister Therese Coffey and Toby Young, who is the associate editor of The Spectator and the son of former Labour peer Lord Michael Young. The Liberal Democrats have nominated two individuals to peerages. The roster of recently appointed peers comprises 18 men and 20 women. Several Labour Members of Parliament who either lost their constituencies or retired from their positions in the most recent election are now set to enter the House of Lords. These include Thangam Debbonaire, Julie Elliot, Lyn Brown, and Steve McCabe. Luciana Berger and Phil Wilson, both Labour MPs who were unsuccessful in retaining their seats in the 2019 election, are slated to become peers. Margaret Curran, who lost her Glasgow East seat in 2015, will also join them. Berger departed from the Labour party in 2019, citing worries regarding antisemitism during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership at the time, and subsequently ran without success as a Liberal Democrat candidate. She returned to Labour in 2023 following an invitation from Sir Keir. Mike Katz, who serves as the national chairman of the Jewish Labour Movement and has been appointed to the Lords as a Labour peer, stated his intention to leverage his new role to persist in combating the “toxic racism” of antisemitism. Katz remarked: “I passionately believe in this government’s commitment to creating a fairer, more prosperous society, and its determination to build the homes and the infrastructure that our country needs and our people deserve.” The newly appointed peers will now qualify for a tax-exempt daily allowance of £361, in addition to travel expenses, for their attendance at Parliament. The previous month, Gray had opted against accepting a role as the prime minister’s envoy to the nations and regions, an offer extended to her after she left her position as Sir Keir’s chief of staff. Gray asserts that her departure from the role was her own choice, yet her exit followed several weeks of unfavorable media coverage and critical briefings directed at her, encompassing a dispute concerning her remuneration. Her son, Liam Conlon, secured election as the Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge in July. In 2022, the Labour party announced its intention to dismantle the 805-member House of Lords, proposing to substitute it with a “new, reformed upper chamber”. However, this proposal was subsequently moderated prior to July’s election, with Labour pledging to conduct consultations on blueprints for an alternative second chamber, simultaneously eliminating the 92 seats reserved for hereditary peers and implementing a retirement age of 80. The party additionally pledged to implement revised regulations concerning participation and establish a new procedure to facilitate the removal of “disgraced” peers. For Labour to expedite its legislation through parliament, it will be necessary to secure significant votes within the House of Lords. The Conservative party holds the largest number of peers, totaling 273, whereas Labour possesses 187 and the Liberal Democrats have 78. Furthermore, there are 184 “crossbench” peers who do not affiliate with any political party. A source from the Labour party indicated that the Conservatives had “stuffed the House of Lords, creating a serious imbalance” which required “correction”. The source further stated: “We are committed to an overdue programme of reform and have already laid legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the Lords.” The Conservatives nominated Dame Therese, an experienced member of three Tory cabinets and deputy prime minister during Liz Truss’s tenure, to the House of Lords. She represented Suffolk Coastal as a Tory MP from 2010 until her defeat in the July election. Rachel Maclean, who previously served as housing minister and lost her Redditch seat in 2024, is also set to join the Conservative cohort in the House of Lords. The Conservatives put forward Young, a university acquaintance of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the founder of the West London Free School in 2011. Young, who is the son of the Labour-supporting academic Lord Young, expressed his anticipation of collaborating with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch “to restore free speech to pride of place in our democracy and repair the damage Keir Starmer”. Nigel Biggar, the emeritus professor of moral theology at the University of Oxford, who authored a defense of colonialism last year, is also slated to become a Conservative member of the House of Lords. Concurrently with the revelation of his impending entry into the Lords, Biggar released an article in The Telegraph, declaring his support for the Conservative party following a career as a priest and academic. The Liberal Democrats put forward Sheffield City Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed and veteran campaigner Mark Pack, who presently holds the position of the party’s president.