Brexit & the Power of Unelected Aristocracy

In the infinity circle of irony that has consumed British politics, Brexit was forced through by Boris Johnson – a Prime Minister who ruled for months without winning an election, other than a Conservative leadership contest involving fewer than 150,000 people.

Then, in office, Johnson’s agenda has largely been dictated by an unelected bureaucrat – Dominic Cummings – who lurked behind the pen name “senior Number 10 source” for the 16 months that he served as a chief aide.

Johnson announced that David Frost, the bureaucrat who led the final stages of the UK’s negotiations with the EU, will be anointed as a Cabinet minister and given responsibility for future arbitrations with Brussels.

The quirk in the UK parliamentary system that has allowed Frost to become one of the most powerful people in Government – despite never having received a single vote – is the ability of House of Lords members to be appointed as ministers.

Usually this is an anomaly – very occasionally the Government anoints someone to the House of Lords in order to make them a minister, leading to a swift media backlash. Yet Johnson’s administration has been uniquely enthusiastic about tasking unelected peers with running the country.

Reference the full story at Byline Times