Editing Neil Kinnock (section)

===Life peerage===
[[File:Kinnock, Neil.jpg|thumb|upright|Kinnock in 2007]]
On 28 January 2005, he was created a [[life peer]] as ''Baron Kinnock, of [[Bedwellty]] in the County of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]]'',<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=57549 |date=2 February 2005 |page=1249}}</ref> and was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced]] to the [[House of Lords]] on 31 January 2005.<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldjournal/238/031.htm House of Lords Journal 238 (Session 2004–05)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026021456/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldjournal/238/031.htm |date=26 October 2016 }}, Monday, 31 January 2005; p. 142</ref> On assuming his seat, he stated: "I accepted the kind invitation to enter the House of Lords as a working peer for practical political reasons." When his peerage was first announced, he said: "It will give me the opportunity ... to contribute to the national debate on issues like [[higher education]], research, Europe and foreign policy."

His peerage meant that the Labour and Conservative parties were equal in numbers in the upper house of Parliament (subsequently the number of Labour members overtook the number of Conservative members for multiple years). Kinnock was a long-time critic of the House of Lords, and his acceptance of a peerage led him to be accused of hypocrisy, by [[Will Self]],<ref>Notably when Kinnock appeared, as the guest presenter in an episode of ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'', on [[List of Have I Got News for You episodes#Series 28 (2004)|3 December 2004]]</ref> among others.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4223265.stm|title=Baron Kinnock makes Lords debut|work=BBC News|date=31 January 2005|access-date=29 September 2010|archive-date=26 February 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060226052018/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4223265.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>