It is fascinating how certain MPs seem incapable of grasping the importance of integrity and consistency over more than a year or two. In 2012 the Liberal Democrats as part of the coalition introduced a Bill to reform the House of Lords. Those MPs who sought to oppose this reform included 91 Tory MPs of whom several are now calling for reform of the House of Lords as a result of the way the upper House has dealt with the Brexit legislation. Clearly 6 days is a long time in Parliament, let alone 6 years but nevertheless it seems rather churlish to protect an institution in July 2012 and then call for its reform in May 2018, just because the Lords have reintroduced the opportunity for MPs to challenge Ministers on their proposed solution for Brexit which relates to a referendum that is nearly 2 years old itself. After all the Vote Leave proposal was demanding, that power is returned from Brussels to Parliament, which comprises two Houses full of law makers, not simply one small group sitting around the Cabinet Table. Sadly far too many Brexiteers seem to think they argued for power to remain in the hands of this small group most of whom have been elected as MPs, but all of whom are appointed to power in precisely the same way as the EU Commissioners are appointed to their roles, by the Heads of Governments.

Yesterday Jacob Rees-Mogg stated “The Lords has very little public support when it’s doing more than its job of being a revising chamber. It has no mandate, it has no legitimacy. It is there effectively on sufferance.” Back in January Mr Rees-Mogg suggested that Theresa May should flood the House of Lords with around 200 new Brexit supporting Tory Peers. yet back in 2012 he voted against reform of the House of Lords. He was not alone back in 2012 when other Brexiteers such as Nadine Dorries, Bernard Jenkin, John Redwood, Conor Burns, Steven Baker and Andrew Bridgen all opposed the reform. Indeed Andrew Bridgen stated during the debate “The House of Lords is a fine institution. It is not broken, so why do we need to fix it?” The truth is that many of these people are quick to blame others when the ship they have designed and built appears to be full of holes and is taking on water. Back in in August 2016 Steve Baker complained about the behaviour of Civil Servants “any official working to oppose our exit from the EU should be summarily fired” and Andrew Bridgen said mandarins would be “stepping beyond their remit”.

During the 2012 debate on the House of Lords Brexiteers Conor Burns made a strong point before voting to retain the Lords as it is, pointing out that the House of Lords is not supposed to passively revise laws “My hon. Friend is making an incredibly powerful point about the difference between this place and the other place—that in the other place, in order to win the vote, one has to win the argument. That is not always the case in this Chamber.” Although I personally want to see the Upper Chamber reformed significantly in terms of size and membership, clearly what we do not want any institution to be is a set of nodding dogs heads sitting in the back of a Government Minister’s car!