Peers need more vetting, says new head of House of Lords appointments

Ruth Deech says making huge donations ‘not enough in itself’ and that ‘one has to look at their other qualities’

Peers should be more robustly vetted for suitability after public “disquiet” over candidates who appear to have been picked for being big donors or friends of those in power, the new head of the House of Lords appointments commission has said.

Ruth Deech, a leading lawyer and academic who was chosen by the government to lead the commission, said she wanted to push for peers to pass not just propriety vetting but an assessment of suitability, to determine whether they merit their appointment.