This House of Lords Library Briefing contains a brief history of life peerages, as well as an exploration of appointing Peers outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Life Peerage Creations: Powers of the Crown (143KB PDF)
The Lord Speaker’s committee on the size of the House’s report, Report of the Lord Speaker’s committee on the Size of the House (31 October 2017), commented on advice it received contending that the Monarch is empowered to appoint life Peers outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958, and that Peers appointed in this way would not be entitled to a seat in the House of Lords. Accordingly, the committee encouraged the Government to pursue this option in tandem with their main proposals. This Briefing further explores this option by considering the background to the appointment of life Peers; the Wensleydale Peerage case which challenged the Crown’s authority to create life Peers; and ways in which the Crown may honour individuals to be addressed as Lord or Lady, without sitting and voting rights in the House of Lords outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Life Peerage Creations: Powers of the Crown (143KB 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.
