House of Lords Reform Draft Bill

On 17 May 2011, the Government published a white paper and draft Bill on reforming the House of Lords, containing proposals for a reformed House of 300 members, 80 percent of whom would be elected using the single transferable vote, with the transition to the new House staggered over three electoral cycles beginning in 2015. This Library Note briefly sets out the Government’s proposals; summarises the statements announcing the proposals and reaction to those statements in both the Commons and the Lords; and outlines the reaction to the proposals from selected newspapers and a range of commentators. Other Lords Library Notes provide background information on the subject of House of Lords reform, including ‘Possible Implications of House of Lords Reform’ (25 June 2010, LLN 2010/014) and ‘House of Lords Reform 1997–2010: A Chronology’ (28 June 2010, LLN 2010/015).