THE former MP for Barrow has defended the role of the House of Lords following criticism in the wake of allegations peerages are being offered to multi-millionaire Tory Party donors.

A Sunday Times report showed 15 of the last 16 Conservative Party treasurers have been offered a seat in the Lords, having each donated more than £3 million to the party.

This led to many calling for the House of Lords system to be abolished and questioning the effectiveness of its role in Parliament.

The Tories have denied any link between the donations and the nominations to sit in the Lords, in the latest twist in ongoing allegations of sleaze.

Lord Walney, and independent adviser on political violence and disruption and the Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Tanzania, said: "I can very much understand why there is now a renewed focus on ensuring both Houses of Parliament work as effectively as possible, but in my first year in the House of Lords I’ve been struck by the number of dedicated and expert peers devoting themselves to the vital tasks of holding the government to account and improving legislation.

"For example, tighter controls on water companies pumping sewage into our rivers and oceans are being written into law this week as a result of the Lords instructing the House of Commons to think again.

"For my part, I am working hard on a review for the government into the role of extreme fringe groups in political violence and disruption and getting to grips with my new role working to improve business opportunities for UK firms looking to trade in Tanzania."

The Tories denied any link between the donations and the nominations to sit in the Lords, and Mr Eustice claimed their expertise made them "valuable" members of the Upper Chamber.

Mr Eustice said: "They are philanthropists who give huge amounts to charity, who have been very successful in business and, therefore, on those grounds ought to be considered for the Lords."

This follows the week where the 'Tory Sleaze' allegations after the former Cabinet minister Mr Paterson was facing a 30-day suspension for an "egregious" breach of lobbying rules after an investigation by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone and a subsequent report by the Commons Committee on Standards.

The Government had ordered Conservative MPs not to back Mr Paterson's immediate suspension last Wednesday but to support the creation of a Tory-led committee to look again at the case and overhaul the standards system.

Ministers backed down following a backlash, prompting Mr Paterson to quit the Commons on Thursday.