Letter: Peer pressures

Sir: Those Conservatives who support retention of the hereditary peers are overlooking one important feature of the Government's proposals. Once the hereditaries lose their right to membership of the "Upper" House of Parliament they will gain, for the first time, the right to become elected members of the House of Commons. Indeed, if the new House of Lords is largely, or (as I would prefer) wholly, elected they could also stand for election there.

It would be interesting to know whether Lord Cranborne, the Tory Leader in the Lords, would be prepared to chance his arm in a democratic election to either house. If not, why not?

ROLAND FREEMAN

Alderbury, Wiltshire