This Library Note provides a short overview of the role and functions of some of the key office holders in the House of Lords.
Principal Office Holders in the House of Lords (430KB PDF)
This Library Note provides a short overview of the role and functions of some of the key office holders in the House of Lords: the Lord Speaker, Deputy Speakers and Deputy Chairmen, Chairman and Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees, Leader and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, Leader of the Opposition, Convenor of the Crossbench Peers, Chief Whip, Opposition Chief Whip, Lord Great Chamberlain and Earl Marshal. It also details the proposals made over recent years for reforms to some of these roles.
Principal Office Holders in the House of Lords (430KB 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.
