Limit the number of lords allowed fo sit – perhaps around 500 – & then proportionately allocate the amount of lords each party is allowed following each election based on the proportion of the vote that is received in accordance with a pre-submitted list for each party in order that each Lord will be sent to the house by the party. In order to maintain the expertise of the lords, retain around 100 cross bench expert/ technical/ professional lords who offer expert scrutiny of legislation & government policy. These cross bench lords would, by parliamentary convention, vote with the government unless they professionally disagree with the legislation so as to maintain the ability of the government to routinely pass legislation. There would be no limit to the number of lords that can be appointed as a Lord but there would be a limit to the number that can be in the house. Cross-benchers would be self-selecting through internal vote similar to hereditary peers (who would no longer be able to sit except if selected through either of the above processes). Cross bench selection would be mandated to select a wide range of appropriate professional, technical, social & religious expertise from available peers. Smaller parties would also gain representation through this system. Overall, this system would improve the democratic legitimacy of the lords while maintaining its unique strengths, expertise & experience.
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