Cobra Beer peer says relocating the House of Lords would be ‘ridiculous’

Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, the incoming boss of the CBI and a prominent peer, has criticised Government proposals to move the House of Lords outside of London.

It emerged this week that the Conservatives are looking at moving the upper chamber out of Westminster, with party chairman James Cleverly saying it is trying to "reconnect" politics with voters outside of the capital. York and Birmingham have been mooted as potential new homes for the chamber, which houses 795 peers.

Karan Bilimoria told the Standard: “It’s beyond a joke, it’s ridiculous and not thought through at all. This has been suggested to make people across the country feel more included but what was Government thinking of?

“Britain’s is the mother of modern Parliaments and the Houses of Lords and Commons are a Parliament combined. We are a united Parliament. If you look at America, the financial capital is New York and the political capital Washington and that, in my view, puts them at a disadvantage as it dilutes the power. To have the two together attracts the whole world and makes sense when you have heads of state visiting.”

But Labour peer Lord Adonis, who has previously suggested moving the Lords to Salford Quays, said: “It’s an idea whose time has come – a decision should be taken before we spending millions on the refurbishment of Westminster, which should be made into a museum.”

The House of Lords is due to temporarily locate in around 2025 as part of the refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster. It was expected to move to the nearby Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

Adonis, a vehement supporter of the HS2, believes putting the Lords at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre would allow rapid links across the country when the rail project is completed.

Bilimoria has been a cross-bench life peer for 13 years and shuttles between the City offices of his Cobra beer business and Parliament. In June, he will become the first sitting peer to lead the influential CBI business lobby. He argued all-party parliamentary groups and select committees would also be unable to meet easily if the Lords were moved.

He conceded that the Lords does need to change, saying “all institutions need reform, especially one which is 800 years old” – but added that its role in scrutinising government and bringing together expertise across fields from science to business was unparalleled.

Bilimoria also believes a Lords of the North would represent hypocrisy as Brexiteers have criticised the fact the European Parliament is split between two locations: Strasbourg and Brussels.

During a debate in the House of Lords this week, peers derided the idea with one offering to host the Lords in a marquee in his York garden.