Stephen Tall

Nine new Lib Dem peers have just been announced …

Working Peers List

* Floella Benjamin OBE DL – actor, presenter and campaigner for children’s issues
* Mike German OBE AM – former Deputy First Minister (Wales)
* Meral Hussein Ece OBE – Local Government Councillor in Islington, advocate of equality issues
* Sir Kenneth (Ken) Macdonald QC – former Director of Public Prosecutions
* Kathryn (Kate) Jane Parminter – former Chief Executive of Campaign to Protect Rural England
* John Shipley OBE – leading Local Government Councillor in Newcastle upon Tyne

The sharp-eyed will spot an equal number of men and women on the list, as well as two BME representatives: Meral, heavily involved in the Turkish community; and Floella, born in Trinidad.

Dissolution List:

* Richard Allan – former MP for Sheffield Hallam and Chair of the Information Select Committee
* Matthew Owen John Taylor – former MP for Truro and St Austell, Chair of National Housing Federation
* George Philip (Phil) Willis – former MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Former Chair of Science and Technology Select Committee

16 new Conservative peers were announced, and 29 new Labour peers. In addition, Iain Paisley was appointed a peer, and former Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Ian Blair will sit as a crossbencher.

By my reckoning this produces a House of Lords comprised as follows:

Labour – 240 peers (32%)
Conservative – 204 peers (27%)
Liberal Democrats – 81 peers (11%)
UKIP – 2 peers (0%)
DUP – 1 peer (0%)
Crossbenchers – 183 peers (24%)
Lords Spiritual – 25 peers (3%)
Other – 24 peers (3%)
Total – 760 peers

The coalition government of Lib Dems and Conservatives therefore has 38% of the vote in the Lords.