Martin Lewis says he won't be re-applying to join the House of Lords

Martin Lewis says he won’t be re-applying to join the House of Lords after he was turned down for peerage last year – as he admits it ‘won’t make any difference’ over his influence and he ‘wouldn’t enjoy it’

• Martin Lewis said he will not apply to join the House of Lords again
• The broadcaster was rejected last year as he could not commit enough time  

Consumer champion Martin Lewis has said he will not re-apply to become a member of the House of Lords after being rejected last year as it ‘won’t make a difference’.

The money saving expert said he would not enjoy sitting as a peer and added he already had enough influence as a public figure.

Mr Lewis’s application  to become a cross-bench member was turned down in 2022 as he could not commit to enough time to the role.

Although he planned to re-apply at the time, he now says he no longer wishes to become a peer.

The broadcaster has now said he does not think being part of the House of Lords would make any difference to his influence given his considerable popularity on TV.

Money saving expert Martin Lewis has said he will not re-apply to become a member of the House of Lords 

He previously said he was rejected as he was unable to commit enough time to a role in the Lords due to his busy work schedule and family life

He told The Telegraph: ‘I won’t be applying for the House of Lords again. 

‘I’m not sure I would enjoy it.

‘And actually, I’ve got to a point where in influence terms, I’m not sure it would make any difference to me. 

‘I’m not sure if I had the title ‘Lord’ it would have any more impact.’ 

He also said that being titled ‘Lord Lewis’ could risk alienating members of the public who see him as relatable. 

Mr Lewis previously said that he would struggle to fit time spent in the Lords with his hugely busy work schedule and family life.

He told the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast last year that he told a Lords committee he would could not commit to all of the Lords sittings, usually held between 3pm and 10pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

He said: ‘I said to them “look, I need to be straight with you in terms of the hours I can give. 

‘”I’m very busy with my job, but most importantly I have a nine-year-old daughter and until she’s 13, my most important job from 6.30pm until eight at night is to be with her and to put her to bed, maybe until she’s 12, whatever”.’

Mr Lewis, whose net worth is estimated at around £120m, married TV presenter Lara Lewington, 43, in 2009

Mr Lewis said he thought he could begin his time in the Lords ‘learning for three to five years with limited input’ before ‘gradually over the next five to ten years’ devoting more time to Parliament and less to his other commitments.

He added how this was ‘a stumbling block’ for the Commission, but revealed they had ‘invited me to apply again in future’.

However, the consumer expert is now unlikely to take a seat in the Lords as he continues his broadcasting career.

Mr Lewis is set to begin co-hosting Good Morning Britain once a month starting in October.

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