Following the defeat, Baron Croydon reacted forcefully, describing the proposals in highly dismissive terms and accusing reformers of advancing what he saw as a fundamentally flawed plan.
He said there was “nothing constructive about it,” and criticised the bill as “deeply damaging in intent and design,” warning that attempts to push through similar reforms could destabilise Parliament’s existing balance.
Baron Croydon added that during his time in the House of Lords he had consistently resisted major structural reform efforts, arguing that although the chamber is imperfect, it plays a vital role in preventing poorly considered legislation from becoming law.
There was nothing beautiful about it. It should have been called the big pile of shit. Ironically this is exactly the reason why the lords shouldn’t be reformed. We need to stop catastrophic bills like this one from coming into law. All the times I was PM I never pursued this idea of reforming the lords despite the setbacks they had given me because it has the potential to cause devastating damage.
“There was nothing beautiful about it. It should have been called the big pile of shit. Ironically this is exactly the reason why the lords shouldn’t be reformed. We need to stop catastrophic bills like this one from coming into law. All the times I was PM I never pursued this idea of reforming the lords despite the setbacks they had given me because it has the potential to cause devastating damage.”