In Focus
Under the provisions of the House of Lords Act 1999, 92 ‘excepted’ hereditary peers can sit in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill would remove this exemption and also abolish the jurisdiction of the House of Lords in hereditary peerage claims.
In Focus
Labour’s manifesto committed the party to several House of Lords reforms ahead of a longer-term ambition to replace the House with an alternative second chamber. The Labour government has since introduced a bill to remove hereditary peers from the House’s membership as a first step in its reform programme. Further measures, for example around introducing a mandatory retirement age and a participation requirement, are expected to follow later in the parliament.
In Focus
Following government proposals to remove excepted hereditary peers from the House of Lords, this briefing presents statistics about the remaining hereditary peers and compares their attendance, votes and spoken contributions with the parliamentary activity of other members.
Research Briefing
This proposed law would introduce a new “think again” procedure in the House of Lords so members could ask the House of Commons to consider their concerns before a draft affirmative statutory instrument is approved.
Research Briefing
This House of Lords Library briefing covers the maiden and valedictory speeches made during the last two sessions of parliament. The first and last speeches made by a member of the House of Lords are significant occasions and, by tradition, are marked with respect by the House.
Data dashboard
This House of Lords data dashboard allows for the examination of member activity over the 2019–24 parliament. This includes attendance data, participation in votes and debates, tabling of written questions, and committee and official roles. It has been produced in the context of the proposals by the new Labour government to reform the House of Lords. The data can be filtered by age and peerage type.
In Focus
The House of Lords Conduct Committee is currently reviewing the House of Lords code of conduct for members, with written submissions due to close on 31 October 2024. Before this, the House of Lords is scheduled to hold a debate on the review.
In Focus
When the House of Lords Act 1999 was passed, it removed automatic seats for hereditary peers in the House of Lords. However, 92 places for hereditary peers were kept as part of a compromise agreement. Numerous pieces of legislation have since been introduced with the intent of removing or reducing the numbers of hereditary peers in the House, although none became law. This briefing highlights the government and private members' bills that were debated in Parliament.
In Focus
In light of the UK government’s recent proposals to reform the House of Lords, this briefing presents facts and figures comparing the House of Lords with other second chambers around the world.
In Focus
Former prime minister Theresa May joined the House of Lords in August 2024 after standing down as an MP ahead of the 2024 general election. This followed David Cameron being appointed in November 2023 to serve as foreign secretary. This page lists former UK prime ministers who have held office since 1902, together with information on whether the individuals later received a peerage entitling them to sit in the House of Lords.
Research Briefing
The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL] is a government bill comprising a single substantive clause. It would extend the period in which vacancies among the lords spiritual are filled by bishops who are women by five years. The lords spiritual are the maximum of 26 Church of England archbishops and bishops in the House of Lords. The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 is currently due to expire in May 2025. The bill has been introduced at the request of the Church of England. This briefing provides a summary of the background to the bill, including the appointments procedure for the lords spiritual. It summarises the bill’s provisions and provides statistics on women bishops in the House of Lords.
Research Briefing
This Lords Library briefing provides background information about the office of leader of the House of Lords and lists those who have held this position since 1963.
In Focus
As of 2018, around 6% of House of Lords members were from ethnic minorities, doubling from nearly 3% in 2000. In comparison, following the 2024 general election, nearly 14% of MPs are from ethnic minorities. As its membership is appointed, the House of Lords’ diversity is largely dependent on the frequency and scale of appointments, which are in the power of the prime minister.
In Focus
This briefing explores the history of life peerages and prospects for appointing peers outside of the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Research Briefing
Research briefing setting out the government’s commitments covering the constitution, including House of Lords reform, for the House of Lords debate on the 2024 King’s Speech.
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