Sir Keir Starmer is set to appoint dozens of new peers within weeks of taking office in an attempt to push through his policies.
Senior figures, led by Sue Gray, the Labour leader’s chief of staff, have drawn up a list of candidates to fill the party benches and ensure it would be able to implement its legislative programme if it were to win on July 4, the Guardian reported.
The Tories have 104 more peers than Labour, and without such an adjustment it could make it harder for Sir Keir to get his policies through.
The party also wants to increase the representation of women in the upper chamber, where fewer than one-third of members are female.
There are now 171 Labour peers, of whom about 130 reliably turn up to vote on a day-to-day basis. The Conservatives have 275 peers, the Liberal Democrats 79, and 180 peers are non-aligned.
It means that unless Sir Keir appoints about 100 peers, the Tories will outnumber Labour in the upper chamber.
Such a move will significantly increase the cost of the House of Lords to the taxpayer because peers can claim a daily attendance allowance of £361.
The plan comes despite Sir Keir’s pledge to eventually abolish the second chamber and replace it with a more democratic body.
The Labour leader’s advisers and shadow ministers have successfully argued he needs to make the appointments in the short term.
Several women currently outside politics are being lined up for peerages so they can also serve as ministers in a Labour government.
“Sue Gray has the pen on the list,” a senior party figure said. Morgan McSweeney, the campaign director, is also closely involved.
Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow culture secretary who faces a challenge from the Greens in Bristol, could be given a place in the Lords if she loses.
Retiring MPs such as Margaret Beckett, 81, Margaret Hodge, 79 and Harriet Harman, 73, have been tipped for peerages in the dissolution list.
A Labour source said: “The general election is far from over, there are still two weeks to go and the focus in Labour HQ is still firmly on the election campaign, not on handing out jobs.
“Labour’s manifesto clearly sets out Labour’s long-term commitment to replacing the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber, and any proposals would be consulted on.”
