John Oliver mocks the House of Lords while criticising the UK government for proposed tax credits cuts

He describe the House of Lords as "a place where Lords and Baronesses sit on red benches and a man wields a giant golden mace"

John-Oliver (Getty)

John Oliver has challenged the UK’s controversial tax credit reforms, mocking the House of Lords for their outdated practicises and laying into Andrew Lloyd Webber for backing cuts to working families.

It is estimated that 3 million low-income people will be affected by the cuts, with many losing up to £1,300 a year. A report by the BBC suggested most of the pain will be felt by working mothers.

In a segment on his US show Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the British host called the vote an “obviously disgusting” move for the House of Commons.

He also criticised the House of Lords, a group of entitled, wealthy people, for choosing to vote on something that would leave many people worse off.

He described the House of Lords as “A place where Lords and Baronesses sit on any red benches and a man wields a giant golden mace, whose only purpose seems to be to smash peasants. A place with a member whose actual name is ‘Lord Pervis of Tweed’.

“Even they thought this smacked of class warfare!”

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who flew into the UK just to vote, also came under fire, with Oliver pointing out that he has only voted 30 times in the past 14 years.

Lloyd-Webber said he was flying in anyway, and he was visiting to attend the opening night of Cats at the London Palladium and work with the cast, something Oliver maintained was “bull****”.