'I'm part of the institution I wanted abolished'

Kuldip Sahota is unlike most of the peers that sit in the House of Lords.

Until recently, the former council leader and factory worker, who came to Telford from India in the 1960s, would often be found cleaning tables in his wife's cafe when not sitting in the second chamber.

As a young Labour radical and trade unionist, he dreamed of entering government and abolishing the unelected institution that he entered in 2022.

However, the 75-year-old's opinion of "the establishment" has mellowed over the years. And today he will again don a scarlet robe and watch one of Britain's grandest and extravagant annual events – the King's Speech.

"I will be in Westminster quite early to collect my robe and make sure it fits," said Lord Sahota who was nominated for a peerage by Sir Kier Starmer when the Labour leader was in opposition.

"I quite enjoy it because I am, after all, a peer of the realm and I am loyal to the King – the sovereign.

"I like the constitutional theatre or the State Opening of Parliament. It's full of colour, pageantry, tradition and ritual.

"But yes, I am working class, and I worked in a factory for 15 years.

"And there was a time when I was a young radical and I would think about entering government and the first thing I wanted to do was abolish the House of Lords.

"But that was in my younger days and now I'm a man in my 70s, and I have mellowed.

"I'm now part of that establishment, so you could say I'm being a little hypocritical in my old age."

Wednesday's King's Speech, in which the monarch will outline the government's planned laws for the next Parliamentary year, will be delivered from a throne in the Lord's chamber.

It will be followed by five days of debate in both the chambers.

Lords are not paid a salary for their parliamentary duties, but they can claim a tax-free daily allowance of £371.

Records for November 2025 show that Lord Sahota was paid £6,307 for attending 17 days.

The former Labour leader of Telford and Wrekin Council stepped down as a councillor in 2023 after 22 years in local government.

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