Lords reform: Nick Clegg likens UK system to Belize and Burkina Faso

Nick Clegg tried to isolate opponents of Lords reforms on Monday by claiming that protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo would not understand how Britain in the 21st century still had an unelected legislature.

He also sent out a briefing to his party pointing out that only 15 countries predominantly use appointments for selecting its upper house "putting Britain in the same league as Jordan, Belize and Burkina Faso".

The deputy prime minister was speaking at a three-hour cross examination of his plans for Lords reform undertaken by a special joint committee of both houses charged with commenting on the government's draft Lords reform bill published last year.

The draft bill proposes the chamber should be reduced to about 300 members from more than 800. They would be elected for single 15-year term under a system of single transferable vote, starting in 2015.

The joint committee is due to deliver what is expected to be a highly critical verdict on the draft bill by the end of March before the government publishes the final version of its bill in time for the Queens speech in May.

Conservative MPs are increasingly opposed to the reforms, arguing they will send out the wrong signal about the government's priorities at a time of such austerity.

But Clegg confirmed that he and David Cameron were willing to use the Parliament Act to force through the reforms, adding it would be "incomprehensible" if peers chose to disrupt other Lords business, including other bills, to block the introduction of an elected second chamber. Any peer who tried to explain away such disruption would "find it is a case almost impossible to make".

There have also been suggestions that the MPs might vote down a guillotine motion designed to timetable a debate on the Lords bill, leading to interminable debates, similar to those that occurred at the time of the Maastricht bill.

Clegg showed his determination to push through the reform saying "I have now seen enough predictions of disaster and apocalypse in the past 18 months that if you stop at the first sign of opposition, this government would do nothing, People do not like change".

During the cross examination, it became clear that most joint committee members are unhappy at the government's unwillingness to examine the future powers of the Lords in the bill. One peer, Lady Andrews, told Clegg the committee had not received a single piece of evidence supporting his contention that the powers of the peers would not be affected.

Mark Harper, the Cabinet Office minister, said it would be possible for the powers to change organically over time, and there was no need to set out those powers in legal form at this stage. He said a 15 year timetable has been set out for the reform, with peers elected for 15 year terms introduced in three tranches, so there was no need to rush into decisions on Lords powers.

But Clegg also said he was considering proposals from Lord Pannick and the former attorney general Lord Goldsmith suggesting a reassertion of the Parliament Act should be included in the Lords bill to make it clear that it would continue to apply.

He said the argument to include a reference to the Parliament Act was "a powerful one" adding "we are very willing to look at their specific recommendation". The act allows the Commons to assert its powers to require legislation to be accepted by peers.

The government has been reluctant to codify the informal conventions between the two houses since it would probably prolong discussion on the bill.

Clegg rejected suggestions that an elected Lords could have any power over finance bills, arguing that the Commons would be supreme since the government would still come from the Commons. Committee members also questioned whether an elected second chamber would be any more accountable than now since their 15 year non-repeatable term meant they were cut off from their electorates as soon as they are elected.

He said he believed the only individuals and institutions that had anything to fear from an elected Lords would be the government since they would be open to greater scrutiny.

Clegg revealed he was still open to the idea that some peers could retain outside jobs, especially those independent peers who were not elected.