Former Conservative vice chairman Jeffrey Archer could be stripped of his peerage and banished from the House of Lords under plans set out by the government yesterday.

Announcing reforms to the upper house, constitutional affairs secretary Lord Falconer said that peers convicted of serious offences would be banned from the chamber and could see their titles permanently revoked.

Ministers also unveiled plans to remove birthright peers from the House of Lords and establish an independent appointments commission.

Reacting to Archer's imminent expulsion, the Conservatives questioned whether it could actually go ahead since it might breach Archer's human rights.

Lord Strathclyde, leader of the Tories in the Lords, said: "Of course it's vindictive, but you would expect nothing less from this government.

"I'm not opposed to the principle of stopping criminals who have been in jail for more than 12 months from sitting in the Lords.

"What worries me very much is its retrospective nature, and legal experts are already saying it offends against the Human Rights Act."