Plans for a new elected senate with senators representing regions such as the West Midlands could be blocked by angry peers, according to a poll.
A survey found that 80 per cent of peers oppose introducing a wholly or mainly elected upper chamber, even though the policy was in the manifestos of all three major parties.
Nearly three-quarters also believe it would be unconstitutional for ministers to use the Parliament Act to push through such proposals.
The coalition partners have pledged to create an elected Lords by 2015, threatening to overcome objections with the rarely-used mechanism that allows MPs to pass legislation without peers’ consent.
However, the research highlights hostility to the move across the political spectrum - including among Liberal Democrats.
Under plans set out by Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, the House of Lords will be replaced by a Senate with 240 elected members and 60 appointed members.
Elections will be held on a regional basis, giving the West Midlands its own dedicated senators.
Under the existing system, peers take the name of a place - such as former CBI chief Digby Jones, who became Lord Jones of Birmingham - but they do not officially represent any particular part of the country.
Senators will serve for 15 years and elections will be held every five years using proportional representation, with one third elected in each election.
A newspaper sent questions to each of the 789 peers entitled to sit in the Lords, of whom around 400 do so regularly.
It found that 80 per cent opposed a wholly or mainly elected upper House, even though the policy was in all three party manifestos and is in the coalition agreement, and 74 per cent believed it would be unconstitutional to use the Parliament Act.
