Member

Of course, former Members of Parliament bring great and valuable experience to our proceedings here. They are well versed in parliamentary procedure. They are under no illusions about the long days and the late nights that are involved. They have, as constituency representatives and election candidates, spoken to many thousands of their fellow citizens, and have a keener sense of public opinion than most of us. However, we should be, and should be seen to be, more than just a retirement home for former MPs and special advisers. There are many other bodies from which we can draw experienced and willing legislators. While your Lordships’ House currently has 181 former MPs, we have only 11 former Members of the Scottish Parliament, seven Members of Senedd Cymru, 12 Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, 11 London Assembly Members, and 40 former or current council leaders—that compares to more than 300 principal local authorities.