Lord Strathclyde has accused the government of manipulating parliament to ensure its bills are passed.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, the Conservative leader in the upper house said peers would revolt if ministers pressed ahead with the removal of the remaining hereditary peers.

He said the move would provoke a "backlash" which would lead to a "shambles" for a government which already finds it difficult to push legislation through the House of Lords.

"The government are fully aware of our views and if they go on blindly they will only have themselves to blame for the shambles that will ensue," he said.

"They can't believe that they can just carry on to create a House in their own image...without at some stage creating a backlash."

Peers have so far inflicted 71 defeats on the government during this parliamentary session.

The House of Lords has thrown out legislation including the Health and Social Care Bill, which aims to offer hospitals greater autonomy.

A ban on hunting with hounds also faces delay after the second chamber ran out of time.

But the removal of hereditary peers will mainly affect the Conservatives, tipping the balance of power back towards Labour.

Strathclyde argued that offering hereditaries life peerages would not change their views on key issues. "This is about manipulation of the parliamentary system," he claimed.