Proceedings in the House of Lords have been disrupted after protesters calling for the abolition of the unelected chamber started shouting, singing and throwing leaflets
Protesters shout and throw leaflets in the House of Lords
Proceedings in the House of Lords have been disrupted after protesters and threw leaflets reading “No More Lords” and started shouting and singing.
Business was adjourned for a short time as the demonstrators were escorted out. Protestors called for the abolition of the unelected chamber and in one video could be heard chanting: “Lords out, people in. Lords out, people in.”
The protesters said they were acting on behalf of Assemble, an organisation that campaigns for the House of Lords to be abolished and replaced by a citizens’ assembly. The leaflets thrown by the small group had written on them: “Never mind the Lords here’s the House of People.” On the other side it stated: “Aristocrats and oligarchs: Out. Posties, mums, murses and neighbours: In. Replace the House of Lords to save the UK.”
Citizens’ assemblies are selected by sortition, which means members of the public are picked at random via a lottery. Supporters of this mechanism argue it means a more representative sample of the population are able to come together and debate important issues.
One protester, who wished to be known only as Christina, said: “We did this action on behalf of Assemble and the ask is that, instead of a House of Lords, which is a house of unelected wealthy elites, we have a house of the people. So, we have citizens’ assemblies where people can participate in real democracy, instead of having everything handed to them from up high.”
Another woman, who also referred to herself as Christina, said: “If people enter into assemblies and a house of the people via sortition, that’s real representation where people get a say on real issues that matter to them, which are not getting processed by the Government or Parliament. The cost-of-living crisis, the housing crisis, the climate crisis, it’s a mess, and we need people with real representation to start making a difference and having a say.”
* This is a breaking news story. Follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News , Twitter , Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.
We’ll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story.
Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story HERE. Get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters .
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name.
-
Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community – CLICK HERE
-
Follow The Mirror on Google News – CLICK HERE and click the star
-
Follow The Mirror on Apple News – CLICK HERE available on Apple devices
-
Follow The Mirror on Flipboard – CLICK HERE and click follow
You can sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news here @MirrorBreaking_ and follow us https://twitter.com/MirrorPolitics for all the latest updates.
Keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MirrorPolitics/ . See all our social accounts you can follow here: mirror.co.uk/social