A referendum on dissolving the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK Parliament, could be held if the chamber blocks legislative initiatives put forward by the right-wing populist Reform UK party.
According to Report, citing Sky News, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said speaking at the Reform UK party conference that if his party wins the upcoming general election, he would be prepared to declare a "national state of emergency" and eliminate weekends in the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, in order to pass the party's legislative program within the first 100 days in office.
"If necessary, Parliament will work around the clock, six days a week, until we pass all the necessary bills," Farage said. "Otherwise, we will resort to one measure. It is nothing new and has been used before. We will appoint hundreds of new peers to secure a majority in the House of Lords. And if even that proves difficult, we will initiate a referendum on the fate of the current House of Lords, and they will be removed by the will of the British people."
Farage also announced his readiness to reform the civil service if it refuses to implement Reform UK's political program. According to him, in such a situation, the heads of civil service departments in each ministry would be replaced by representatives of the business community.
Farage recalled that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham had called for 10 years to implement political reforms, while the Reform UK team would be ready to deliver tangible results within its first 100 days in office. He promised to immediately dismiss any ministers who fail to perform their duties.