House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill

Jacob Collier Excerpts

Consideration of Lords amendments
Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Gareth Snell]

I draw attention to my interest on two fronts, in that my wife is a life peer in the House of Lords and a salaried Minister.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

And a very good one at that.

[Gareth Snell]

Yes, she is very good. I thank my hon. Friend for that.

I want to start by addressing some of the points that the hon. Member for Perth and Kinross-shire (Pete Wishart) made—he has left. His characterisation of the House of Lords is grossly unfair. He characterised everybody who is a Member as being some sort of pocket-stuffing hanger-on. I think that exposes more about his particular brand of petty grievance politics than it does about the actual calibre of the individuals down at the end of the corridor. Regardless of party affiliation or whether they are independent or bishops, the Members I have come across—in Committee or Joint Committee work, or in delegations when I was previously in the House are—good people who want to see the nation benefit and our country thrive and see good politics and good governance. The characterisation is often unfair and the hon. Member for Perth and Kinross-shire belittles his own position as a Member of this House.