This House of Lords briefing provides an overview of the events of 10–11 May 1941, when the German Air Force launched an air raid on London, and dropped bombs on the Palace of Westminster, destroying the House of Commons Chamber and damaging the House of Lords Chamber, Westminster Hall and the Clock Tower. It also briefly describes the arrangements made after the attack for the rebuilding of a new House of Commons Chamber. The briefing has been prepared to mark the 75th anniversary of the bombing.
Bombing of the Houses of Parliament: 75th Anniversary (96KB PDF)
On 10 May 1941, incendiary and high-explosive bombs were dropped on the Palace of Westminster, destroying the House of Commons Chamber and damaging the House of Lords Chamber, Westminster Hall and the Clock Tower. The air raid was part of the Luftwaffe’s (German Air Force) campaign of sustained aerial bombing attacks on Britain, known as the Blitz. The attack launched by the Luftwaffe on 10 May 1941 was its biggest air raid on London during the Second World War. It resulted in 1,436 civilian deaths, and caused damage to a number of other buildings including Westminster Abbey and the British Museum. As a result of the damage to the Commons chamber, between late June 1941 and October 1950, the House of Commons sat in the House of Lords Chamber, and the House of Lords sat in the Robing Room. The architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was appointed to design the overall architectural scheme and interior of the new Chamber, and it was officially opened by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on 26 October 1950.
Bombing of the Houses of Parliament: 75th Anniversary (96KB PDF)
The House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber Bill) [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru). It would require the secretary of state to carry out a consultation regarding proposals for replacing the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber. The bill specifies whom the secretary of state would be required to consult with and the timeframe of that consultation.
![House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 11 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/House-of-Lords-568x426.png)
The bill is a government bill that would make a range of changes to the legal framework concerning elections, including extending the franchise for UK parliamentary elections and other reserved elections to 16- and 17-year-olds. The bill was amended during both its committee and report stages in the House of Commons, with many of the government’s later amendments implementing recommendations from the Rycroft review on countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics.
Social media and other technologies have made it easier, quicker and cheaper for foreign powers to spread false information online aimed at undermining UK democracy. Such disinformation campaigns are one type of interference operation. In parallel, researchers have noted a link between declining public trust and societal polarisation, which can be exacerbated by online discourse. This briefing provides introductory reading to these issues, including recent reports and government announcements.
