Peers who do not participate enough in House of Lords face sack
Labour plans to remove peers who do not contribute enough to the House of Lords and to press ahead with plans for a retirement age of 80 from the upper house.Writing for the Telegraph, the leader of the House of Lords, Angela Smith, said a select committee would consider the next stage of Lords reform after the abolition of hereditary peers.Lady Smith said that removing the last hereditary peers was “by no means the limit of the government’s Lords reform ambitions” but said the new committee would consider carefully how the next phase would work.The final stages of the bill, which will abolish the seats for the 86 remaining hereditary peers, will go through parliament this year.“The introduction of a mandatory retirement age for peers and a participation requirement are both clear among our stage-two manifesto commitments,” Smith said in her article, but said there should be a “collaborative way forward”.
The committee will be made up of cross-party peers and consider ways to implement the retirement age and the measure of participation which will be required,She wrote: “Most peers agree the current membership is too high and that there are those who rarely attend,The committee will, in turn, be able to look at what might be done with or without legislation,I hope the select committee will also anticipate any unintended consequences,”But she suggested that a pure measure of speaking contributions would not be a fair way of considering participation overall.
“Those who regularly contribute to the work of the Lords have a clear feel for what this might be.It would recognise contributions in the main chamber as well as the solid, often unnoticed, work done in our impressive system of committees – but it is hard to quantify,” she said.Smith said the implementation of a retirement age would “avoid any possible cliff-edge moment”.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotion“Most peers do not want these issues kicked into the long grass, and I am keen to see if we can act more quickly to bring about the necessary and important changes that this government is set on delivering.I am proud of the work of the Lords,” she wrote.
“At its best, it plays a vital role in our constitution as a scrutinising and revising chamber; and we need to ensure that we fulfil that responsibility in order to deliver effectively for the people of this country.But like all such institutions, ongoing improvements and considered reform must ensure it remains fit for purpose and provides for those we serve.”
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Mitch Brown has become the first male AFL player, past or present, to come out as gay or bisexual, in a step he hopes will make others in the game feel seen.The 36-year-old played 94 matches for West Coast in a career that ended in 2016. He identifies as a bisexual man and is in a long-term relationship with a woman.Brown said it would have been difficult had he spoken publicly during his playing career, but was motivated to help change the culture within the sport.“Maybe a second person [comes out], and then the third…,” he told The Daily Aus
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Kartal left in a world of pain by New York heat as Boulter also exits US Open
Sonay Kartal vowed to come back stronger after her 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 defeat by the 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round of the US Open after struggling with excruciating full-body cramps in warm conditions on Tuesday afternoon in New York.For much of her main‑draw debut at the US Open, Kartal battled admirably, showing her problem‑solving abilities by recovering from a tough opening set to force a decider. But towards the end of the second set Kartal began to struggle physically and by early in the final set she was cramping all over her body.The match took another turn deep in the final set as Haddad Maia also began to struggle, culminating in the Brazilian patting serves into the court and throwing in an underarm serve in a dramatic final game.“It’s frustrating,” Kartal said
Hodgkinson and Hunter-Bell seek British 800m one-two at world championships
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Jack Draper flexes his muscles at US Open as he deals with spotlight and paparazzi
During the typically chaotic media day before Wimbledon in June, Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper were working through their commitments when they briefly crossed paths in the broadcast media mixed zone. As they warmly greeted each other, Sinner looked his good friend up and down, and a smile spread across his face: “Always stronger,” he said, jokingly flexing both arms.Draper, who responded with a sheepish, embarrassed laugh, has heard such observations many times in recent months. At the same time that he has risen up the rankings over the past 15 months, transforming himself into one of the best in the world, he has become one of the most physically strong players on the ATP Tour.At 6ft 4in (193cm), Draper has always stood as an imposing figure on the court, but more recently he has filled out into a more muscular athlete
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