Lord Sugar sworn in at Westminster where he has not spoken for six years
The Apprentice star has not voted in Parliament since 2017, according to the official record
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Business tycoon Lord Sugar has sworn allegiance to the King at Westminster, where he has not spoken in the chamber for six years.
Many peers had already made the required pledge at the despatch box with the return of Parliament in July following the election.
According to the parliamentary record, the Apprentice star’s last spoken contribution in the Lords was back in October 2018.
It also shows the Amstrad founder, who is listed as an independent crossbencher, has not voted since 2017 and has never asked a written question.
A participation requirement by members of the unelected chamber had been proposed by Labour as part of a package of Lords reforms in its election manifesto, alongside a mandatory retirement age of 80, and the removal of hereditary peers.
However, only the latter proposal is currently being taken forward.
Existing legislation already allows for the removal of any peer who does not attend the Lords during a whole session.
There have been ongoing concerns about the size of the Lords and calls to reduce its membership – which stands at around 800, compared with the 650 capped number of MPs.
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