Seats in the House of Lords could be assigned to Yorkshire, other northern counties and regional cities

Boris Johnson is examining plans to scrap the House of Lords and replace it with a second chamber that will give a bigger say in Westminster to the north of England.

Senior Tories say ministers are looking at plans to reform the Lords and make it largely elected to give a voice to “the nations and regions”.

A plan drawn up by Lord Salisbury and published last year is now “on the desk” of Johnson’s team.

Aides said scrapping the Lords was “not a priority” but acknowledged that the plan had attractions.

Some believe that giving a number of seats in parliament’s second chamber to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would help keep the union together at a time when the Scottish National Party is