House of Lords could be moved to York or Birmingham

A man waves both a Union flag and a European flag together on College Green outside the Houses of Parliament - Credit: AFP via Getty Images

Boris Johnson could move the House of Lords to York under new plans shake-up the second chamber.

According to the Sunday Times the prime minister has ordered civil servants to look at the practicalities of moving peers to York or even Birmingham.

The government is also proposing a House of Commons ‘tour’ that will see debates take place outside the Westminster village.

The Conservative Party is already looking at moving its headquarters out of London.

The news comes just hours before the House of Lords was expected to inflict defeats on the government over the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

A Number 10 source told the newspaper: “This will serve as a strong signal that we are serious about refocusing attention and investment away from London. It will set an example for the rest of the public sector and, of course, businesses looking to expand beyond the M25.”

Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly said: “What we are looking at is a whole range of options about making sure every part of the UK feels properly connected from politics.”

“When the PM stood up the day after the election and said this is going to be the people’s government he meant it. That meant connecting people with government and politics.

“The referendum in 2016 wasn’t just about our relationship with the EU, it was about millions of people and their relationship with politics as a whole.”

When pressed to say if the move would happen, he replied: “We might. It’s one of a range of things that we are looking into. But fundamentally what this is about is about demonstrating that we are going to do things differently.”