The leader of the House of Commons, Robin Cook, yesterday hinted that unease remains within the cabinet towards the government's plans for reforming the House of Lords.

After facing a barrage of complaints from MPs on all sides of the House, Cook said that concerns over the smaller than expected elected element were legitimate and later told journalists: "Having asked people to take part in the consultation, we should be willing to listen to the answers." Labour MPs have told the government that it has "a snowball's chance in Hell" of getting backbench support for its reform proposals.