Post by northwestman on Dec 19, 2022 20:15:16 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/dec/19/evgeny-lebedev-house-of-lords-attendance-among-least-active
Evgeny Lebedev has turned up to little more than 1% of Lords sessions since Boris Johnson made him a peer, Guardian analysis shows, making him among the seemingly least active members of the chamber over the past three years.
Of 318 possible sittings since he formally entered the Lords in November 2019, the billionaire newspaper proprietor and friend of Johnson attended four times up to 7 December, attendance records show, 1.25% of the total.
Lord Lebedev, who is a crossbench peer, has spoken in the chamber just once – 18 months ago – and has never voted.
He is among a series of peers who appear to play a minimal role in the business of the house, while not using the option of taking a formal leave of absence from the Lords.
The Lords works on a different basis to the Commons, with many peers holding specialisms or jobs with a particular expertise outside the chamber, and who thus tend to primarily contribute when their area of knowledge is under consideration.
But with plans to reduce the 800-strong size of the chamber undermined by a string of new peerages created by recent prime ministers, there is increasing concern that too many Lords members risk being little more than passengers.
Evgeny Lebedev has turned up to little more than 1% of Lords sessions since Boris Johnson made him a peer, Guardian analysis shows, making him among the seemingly least active members of the chamber over the past three years.
Of 318 possible sittings since he formally entered the Lords in November 2019, the billionaire newspaper proprietor and friend of Johnson attended four times up to 7 December, attendance records show, 1.25% of the total.
Lord Lebedev, who is a crossbench peer, has spoken in the chamber just once – 18 months ago – and has never voted.
He is among a series of peers who appear to play a minimal role in the business of the house, while not using the option of taking a formal leave of absence from the Lords.
The Lords works on a different basis to the Commons, with many peers holding specialisms or jobs with a particular expertise outside the chamber, and who thus tend to primarily contribute when their area of knowledge is under consideration.
But with plans to reduce the 800-strong size of the chamber undermined by a string of new peerages created by recent prime ministers, there is increasing concern that too many Lords members risk being little more than passengers.
