BORIS JOHNSON’S controversial resignation honours list has “brought into question” the current appointments system for creating new peers, with calls from the House of Lords for a new “fair and sustainable” system.

A cross-party committee of senior peers said that the former prime minister “showed no interest” in reducing the number of peers during his three years in office and that the number of new appointments he made “far exceeded” the target set by the upper House.

The panel also noted that peerages were “granted predominantly to members of his own party” by the former Tory leader.

In a report published today by the Lord Speaker’s committee, the peers said: “We hope that the leaders of the main parties can be persuaded to recognise the danger that exists in the present arrangements for both the reputation of the House of Lords and its effectiveness in a well-functioning parliamentary system.”

The committee has recommended imposing a fixed-term limit, possibly of about 15 years, for service in the Lords and called for a fairer allocation of new appointments that are based on election results.

It has also called for a cap on the maximum number of peers, which is currently unlimited.