This Library Note provides information on public attitudes towards the House of Lords, and reform of the House, using the findings of various opinion polls.
Public Attitudes Towards the House of Lords and House of Lords Reform (972 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides information on public attitudes towards the House of Lords, and reform of the House, using the findings of various opinion polls. These have been conducted at intervals using different questions and samples, and therefore can offer only a partial account of what people think about the House of Lords. Nevertheless, taken together, they do suggest that Lords reform and constitutional questions generally are not as salient as other political issues, such as managing the economy, crime, and so on. There is also perhaps some contradictory evidence in how people view reform of the House, with some value placed on the independence offered by a House composed of appointed members, with value also placed on the democratic legitimacy conferred by elections if the House were to be reformed in this way.
Public Attitudes Towards the House of Lords and House of Lords Reform (972 KB , PDF)
The House of Lords made several changes to its procedures during the Covid-19 pandemic. This included the use of virtual sittings and sittings which featured both physical and remote participation. This article provides a chronology of these developments.
The House of Lords Appointments Commission vets nominations to the House and recommends non-party political members. However, it is not a statutory body and the Prime Minister can disregard its advice. Recently, its advice about the appointment of Lord Cruddas was not followed by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. On 6 September 2021, the House of Lords will debate whether the commission should be reformed and placed on a statutory basis.
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.
