‘Intellectual flibbertigibbet’ Peer hits out at suggestion to move Lords out of London

Michael Gove uses bizarre range of accents during interview

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Mr Gove said he “wholeheartedly supports” temporarily relocating the House of Lords out of London while extensive restoration works are carried out in Westminster. Over the weekend, he suggested new locations such as Sunderland, Burnley or Stoke-on-Trent, describing the attractions of the latter’s six towns as “formidable”. But peers have lambasted the idea, with the Lord Speaker describing the suggestion as “highly questionable”, and the former Lord Speaker labelling it “bonkeroony”.

In a letter to peers, Lord McFall said the Lords’ law-making role was “indivisible” from that of the House of Commons, the lower chamber, where MPs sit.

“Whilst I agree with the secretary of state that politics can be too London-centric, I don’t believe moving locations in and of itself would address these concerns,” he wrote.

Crossbencher Lord Carlile, a former Lib Dem MP, reminded Michael Gove: “We are one Parliament, not two, and therefore dividing the houses would be a very adverse and unconstitutional act.

Meanwhile Lord Cormack, a former Tory MP, insulted Mr Gove more directly, describing the concept as “just another freelance exercise by another intellectual flibbertigibbet”.

Mr Gove highlighted yesterday in departmental questions in the Commons that civil servants have been relocated to different parts of the UK and suggested peers do the same during the restoration works.

He told MPs: “Over the weekend there was speculation in some newspapers that that estimable effort by civil servants should be joined by members of the Lords.

“Can I say that I would wholeheartedly welcome the relocation of the House of Lords to one of our great cities, and in particular the attractions of the six towns that constitute Stoke-on-Trent – as I saw last week – are formidable.

“And if the House of Lords were to relocate to Stoke-on-Trent, I think you could be assured of a warm welcome in one of the most attractive places in England.”

The repairs do not yet have a fixed start date.

However, they are likely to require a full decamp from parliament.

The Sunday Times reported over the weekend the levelling-up secretary suggested Stoke-on-Trent, a 165-mile drive from London, as a possible location.

It added Mr Gove said it would be an “excellent home” for peers.

Responding at the time, shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy accused Mr Gove of “another recycled announcement from a government that first talked about this two and a half years ago”.

She added: “For all the gimmicks, slogans and press releases, on every measure of levelling up, we are going backwards.”

Meanwhile, former Lord Speaker Baroness Hayman said the plan was “bonkerooney”.

She told BBC Radio Four: “I think [ministers] are really quite angry with the House of Lords at the moment and therefore [want to] kick them out. It’s punishment.”

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