This House of Lords Library briefing provides statistics on sessions since 1900 that have lasted for more than 12 months and lists the years in which there has been no Queen’s/King’s Speech. It also sets out how the length of a session is established.
Parliamentary Sessions: Years Without a Queen's Speech (695KB PDF)
Following the 2017 general election, the Government announced that the first session of the new parliament would be extended to two years. As a result, there is expected to be no Queen’s Speech in 2018. The last year in which there was no Queen’s Speech was 2011. Prior to this, there was no King’s Speech in 1915, 1925 or 1949.
The 2010–12 session was the longest since 1900 in terms of the number of sitting days. During this session, the House of Commons sat for a total of 295 days. Prior to this the longest session in terms of sitting days was the 1966–67 session in which the House of Commons sat for a total of 246 days.
Parliamentary Sessions: Years Without a Queen's Speech (695KB 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.
