Following five days of debate, the House of Lords concluded committee stage on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. The bill would end the exemption that 92 places in the House are filled by hereditary peers. This short update summarises the current status of the bill ahead of report stage, dates for which are yet to be scheduled.
In March 1925, the House of Lords debated a motion calling for legislation to be introduced to reform the House of Lords. Whilst composition was among the issues raised, debate focused on the loss of the House’s powers, which were curtailed by the Parliament Act 1911. The 1911 act had also called for the House to be reconstituted on a popular rather than hereditary basis. This briefing looks back at the discussion.
Why are bills before Parliament sometimes likened to a Christmas tree? Where did the term Christmas tree bill come from and why? This briefing looks back through Hansard to find when it was first used in Parliament and to trace its development as a political metaphor.
In Focus
A recent paper about UK foreign policy called for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to “modernise the working environment to set a future oriented culture”. It described the FCDO’s physical surroundings as “somewhat elitist and rooted in the past”. This briefing looks back at Lords Hansard to chart the House’s response to more radical plans in the 1960s that proposed a new foreign office building, which later formed part of a wider scheme for the redevelopment of Whitehall.
Research Briefing
Prorogation is the mechanism by which parliamentary sessions are ended. This House of Lords Library briefing sets out the start and end dates of each parliamentary session since 1900, together with the number of calendar days between the end of the previous session and the start of the new one.
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.
In Focus
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is 75 years old this summer. This briefing looks back through the Hansard archives to the debate where the House approved the signing of the treaty and finds some themes raised by members that still resonate today.
In Focus
Common law long provided that peers of parliament could not vote in general elections. In the last 25 years, this has been put on a statutory footing and peers who are members of the House of Lords remain barred from voting. This briefing explores how this came to be and looks at recent attempts to change this disenfranchisement.
In Focus
The mace is a staff of office symbolising the authority of the sovereign in Parliament. A mace is carried to the Lords and the Commons chambers in a procession at the beginning and end of each sitting day. In the Lords, it rests on the woolsack behind the lord speaker during proceedings. As is the case in the Commons, the Lords may not conduct business in the chamber whilst it is not present. But where did this custom and tradition come from and are maces found in other parliaments?
In Focus
In 1928, Parliament passed legislation that set the date of Easter on “the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April”. This was subject to an order in council that specified that, before any commencement order, “regard” be given to “any opinion officially expressed by any church or other Christian body”. The act has never been commenced. It remains on the statute book. This briefing delves into the Hansard archives to find that 25 years ago the House debated the merits of bringing that act into force.
Data dashboard
What have been the largest ever votes in the House of Lords? This briefing provides a list of divisions since 1999 where 500 or more members have voted.
In Focus
Almost half of workers worked from home during Covid lockdown restrictions in 2020. Three years on, 31 percent of workers worked from home during their working week, representing an ongoing change in working patterns. This briefing looks back 30 years to a debate in the House of Lords on the importance of flexible working, which saw speakers reflecting on the potential benefits of such emerging working practices in the economy.
In Focus
The state opening of Parliament in 1958 would be the last of that parliament, taking place 12 months before the election the following year. In the six days of debate on the address that followed, members responded to the government’s legislative programme, an agenda set in a context of ongoing international and domestic economic challenges. However, its significance lay in it being the occasion for two parliamentary firsts. This briefing looks back to find that the subsequent debates on the address saw the first contributions of life peers. It was also the first state opening to be televised.
Research Briefing
What have been the largest ever votes in the House of Lords? This briefing provides a list of divisions since 1999 where 500 or more Members have voted.
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