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JCB chief Bamford and Brian Paddick among 30 new peers JCB chief Bamford and Brian Paddick among 30 new peers
(35 minutes later)
A list of 30 people who are to be given peerages and become members of the House of Lords has been published. Businessman and Conservative donor Sir Anthony Bamford, former police officer Brian Paddick and the Green Party's Jenny Jones are among 30 new peers set to join the House of Lords.
Businessman and Conservative donor Sir Anthony Bamford is to be a Tory peer as are commentator Danny Finkelstein and former Welsh AM Nick Bourne. Journalist Danny Finkelstein and former Welsh AM Nick Bourne are among other Tory peers while Ministry of Sound boss James Palumbo takes the Lib Dem whip.
Entrepreneur James Palumbo and former police officer Brian Paddick will take the Liberal Democrat whip. Ms Jones becomes the sole Green representative in Lords after being elected in a ballot of members.
Jenny Jones is to become the sole Green Party representative in the House of Lords. There are currently 755 active peers.
Nominations for peerages are put forward by each of the Westminster party leaders and are "vetted" by the House of Lords appointments commission.Nominations for peerages are put forward by each of the Westminster party leaders and are "vetted" by the House of Lords appointments commission.
Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, is among Labour nominations for peerages. Each of the three main parties has selected people who have made substantial donations to them in the past.
There are currently 755 active members of the House of Lords. 'New battlefield'
Of current peers, 216 take the Labour whip, 208 represent the Conservatives while 89 are Liberal Democrats. There are 183 crossbenchers who are not aligned with any party. Sir Anthony Bamford, the head of the JCB firm, is one of new 14 Conservative peers.
Since 2002, the Bamford family and their companies have given nearly £2.5m to the Conservative Party.
A Tory source described Sir Anthony as a "leading industrialist who has made a "massive contribution to British business".
Other Conservative nominations include party treasurer Howard Leigh, former Tesco executive Lucy Neville-Rolfe and former MPs John Horan and Matthew Carrington.
Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, leads five Labour nominations for peerages, which also include businessmen Sir William Haughey and Sir Charles Allen.
Sir William, the founder of City Refrigeration, has donated £1.3m to Labour.
The Lib Dems have nominated two former advisers to Nick Clegg, Olly Grender and Alison Suttie, and Sir Ian Wrigglesworth - a former MP who has been serving as the party's treasurer.
Among ten nominees in total, Mr Palumbo has given £650,000 to the party since 2011 while Rumi Verjee has given £750,000 in three donations since the last general election.
Ms Jones, currently a member of the London Assembly becomes the first person to join the Lords as a Green Party peer, having been chosen in a ballot of activists.
"It is an honour and a privilege to be chosen as the Green Party representative in the Second Chamber," she said.
"I am looking forward to a new battlefield for green ideas and policies and I shall do my best to fulfil the trust and expectation that my party has shown in me."
'Too large'
The thirty nominees will take their seats when the House of Lords returns from its summer recess in September. When they do, there will be 800 active members of the House of Lords.
Of these, 221 will take the Labour whip, 222 represent the Conservatives while 99 are Liberal Democrats. There are 183 crossbenchers who are not aligned with any party.
Of the remainder, 13 represent other parties and 21 are "non affiliated" while 25 Bishops of the Church of England continue to sit in the Upper House.Of the remainder, 13 represent other parties and 21 are "non affiliated" while 25 Bishops of the Church of England continue to sit in the Upper House.
Critics have claimed the House of Lords has become too large and peers should be allowed to retire without losing their peerages. Critics have claimed the House of Lords has become too large, one peer suggesting recently that the Chamber was "full up". Reformers have called for peers should be allowed to retire without losing their peerages.
More than 40 peers are currently on a "leave of absence" and are not attending Parliament due to illness or other commitments while approximately 10 are disqualified because they are members of the judiciary or elected representatives elsewhere.More than 40 peers are currently on a "leave of absence" and are not attending Parliament due to illness or other commitments while approximately 10 are disqualified because they are members of the judiciary or elected representatives elsewhere.
Government plans to elect the majority of peers by 2025 were abandoned last year in the face of opposition from many Tory MPs.Government plans to elect the majority of peers by 2025 were abandoned last year in the face of opposition from many Tory MPs.
Speaking on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he would like the current system of appointments to be scrapped but, in the meantime, he would "discharge his right" to nominate people who supported the Lib Dems and shared its values.Speaking on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he would like the current system of appointments to be scrapped but, in the meantime, he would "discharge his right" to nominate people who supported the Lib Dems and shared its values.