Latest politics updates as Labour plans to axe hereditary peers in first term

Labour plans to abolish the House of Lords’ hereditary peers in its first term, if it wins the next general election, according a report by the Financial Times.

The ousted peers would reportedly retain access to the Palace of Westminster, including its Thames-side terraces and taxpayer-subsidised bars and restaurants.

Sir Kier Starmer’s party had previously explored plans to scrap the upper house altogether, with the Labour leader calling the unelected chamber “undemocratic” and “indefensible”.

The House of Lords has now swelled to almost 800 members and is the second-largest legislative chamber in the world.