The House of Lords could mushroom to 1,000 peers by 2031, costing the taxpayer millions

Members of the House of Lords are pictured during the State Opening of Parliament 
Credit: Justin Tallis/AFP/ Getty Images

The House of Lords is on track to reach 1,000 members by 2031, it was claimed on Tuesday, taking their total annual cost to approximately £83 million.

Membership of the unelected House of Lords has grown from 675 peers at the beginning of the 21st century to over 800 today. The House of Commons, in contrast, has 650 MPs.

If the current rate of growth continues unabated, the Electoral Reform Society forecasts that the chamber will reach 1,000 members in just over a decade

It comes as 13 new peers have been appointed to the House of Lords, including three by the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who, in 2015, said he didn’t “think there should be any more appointments to the House of Lords”.

While members...

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